Former NBA Player Andre Emmett Shot and Killed: 'Simply Heartbroken by This Devastating Loss'

Former NBA player Andre Emmett was tragically shot and killed in front of his Dallas home early Monday morning. He was 37.

The Dallas Police Department confirmed the tragedy in a statement on their website and said that Emmett was shot as he was running away from two unidentified men following “an altercation” in front of his Texas home.

The basketball player was eventually discovered by a passerby “several hundred feet from his residence” and transported to a nearby hospital, but died from his injuries shortly after, police said.

“On September 23, 2019, at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim, Andre Emmett, a 37-year-old Black male was approached by two unknown suspects as he sat in his vehicle in front of his residence in the 1800 block of N. Prairie Avenue,” the police department’s statement reads. “The suspects displayed a handgun and an altercation ensued, during which the victim was shot as he ran away from the suspects.”

“The victim was located by a passerby, who called 911, several hundred feet from his residence,” the statement continues. “Dallas Fire and Rescue responded and transported him to an area hospital, where he later died.”

Witnesses told police that both suspects were male — one who was described as a tall, thin, black male in a red hat — and that they fled the scene in a white Chrysler 300.

Emmett, a 6’5″ shooting guard, played four seasons of basketball at Texas Tech University, where he eventually earned consensus All-American honors. As one of the Red Raiders’ star players, Emmett averaged 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, ESPN reports.

After his time on the college court, the athlete was a drafted to the NBA in the second round of the 2004 draft. He briefly played for the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Jersey Nets before playing for several teams overseas.

Most recently, Emmett was playing for Ice Cube’s Big 3 league, a professional 3‑on-3 basketball league featuring All-Stars, Hall-of-Famers and World Champions.

Aside from basketball, Emmett was a father to two young daughters, Kennedy and Zara. Hours before his tragic death, Emmett spent some quality time with his girls, which was documented on his Instagram Stories.

His very last Instagram post also showed how much his girls adored him, in a series of sweet videos in which they peppered him with kisses and enjoyed time together.

“SUNDAY FOOTBALL FUNDAY!!! My baby lied to me and said she’d watch football with me. Then jumped on me and wouldnt let me watch the game smh,” he captioned the clip. “But I’ll take all that love and kisses over anything. 🥰😍🥰😍”

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After news of his death broke, many of Emmett’s former teammates and coaches, fans and loved ones paid tribute to the basketball player on social media.

In a post on Twitter, his collegiate basketball program remembered him for his accomplishments both on and off the court.

“Thank you for the competitor you were on the court and the incredible person you were off of it. Thank you for the many amazing memories you helped create. Thank you for inspiring the entire Texas Tech family. Rest In Peace, Dre,” Texas Tech Basketball wrote.

Head coach Chris Beard also spoke out in a two-minute video on behalf of the program and expressed their sympathies while also praising Emmett as “arguably the best player in program history and an even better person.”

“Like most people, I don’t understand why terrible things like this happen to great people like Andre,” Beard said. “Andre was special and I’m not talking about basketball, the whole world knew that. But I was fortunate enough to know Andre the man — actually just talked to him a few days ago. Every time I talked to him, he was so proud of his children, he was so proud of his family.”

“One of the best competitors and vicious winners and teammates I’ve ever coached but again, much more important than basketball, was the type of person,” Beard continued. “I can’t tell you how many text messages Dre sent me last season in times of victory and also in times of adversary all the way up to that National Championship game… just a special, special person.”

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In their own statement, the Big 3 League wrote that they were “in a state of shock over the sudden and tragic death of Andre Emmett. Andre was a member of the BIG3 family for two seasons and never without a smile on his face. His kindness towards others and easy-going demeanor made him a joy to be around.”

“Off the court, Dre was passionate about helping young people through his Dreams Really Exist foundation. We are simply heartbroken by this devastating loss,” the league added. “Our thoughts are with Andre’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

An investigation into Emmett’s death is still ongoing. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Detective Sayers with the Dallas Police Department Homicide Unit at (214) 671-3647 or scott.sayers@dallascityhall.com.