Basketball player Deng Mayar met with a tragic accident and died at the age of 22. The player had recently transferred from the University of North Dakota to join the Omaha Mavericks, but he met with an unfortunate drowning accident. His death has been confirmed after hours-long recovery effort at Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman. The Omahama basketball player was swimming with 21-year-old friend Sa Mafutaga. Diogo Jota Dies: Liverpool and Portugal Star Passes Away at 28 Due to Horrific Car Accident.

Cause of Deng Mayar’s Death

The police received reports that the two, Deng Mayar and Sa Mafutaga were in distress at the Blackridge Reservoir in the water at around 6:00 PM on Saturday. While Mafutaga managed to reach the shore, Deng Mayar failed, even after the bystanders joined to help. All attempts went in vain. As per Fox 13 in Salt Lake City, Sa Mafutaga went back to help Mayar even after reaching the shore, but the struggling Omaha forward couldn't make it. The emergency rescue teams later recovered the body of Deng Mayar, at around 11:00 PM, after identifying it around 10:40 PM. Deng Mayar died after getting drowned. The Blackridge Reservoir was temporarily closed following the unfortunate incident to investigate the matter.

Following the ultimate demise of Deng Mayar, his previous side, the University of North Dakota has mourned the loss. Their men's team head coach said, "He was a wonderful person with a heart the size of a gym.  Our thoughts are with his parents and family, along with all his teammates from UND and UNO.  As competitive as he was on the court, he had a gentle nature and kind soul off the court.  Deng will be greatly missed by all of those that knew and loved him." Hulk Hogan Dies: WWE Pays Tribute to Wrestling Legend With 10-Bell Salute on Friday Night SmackDown (Watch Video).

Omaha men's basketball coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement, "After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer. [Mayar] Was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly. Jodi and I, along with our entire program, send our hearts and prayers to Deng's family, friends and teammates."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2025 02:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).