Bryce Dejean-Jones, a promising guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, was shot in the stomach and died Saturday.
He was 23.
The circumstances of his death are under investigation.
"We are devastated at the loss of this young man's life who had such a promising future ahead of him," the Pelicans said in a release.
An apartment resident was asleep when Dejean-Jones kicked in the door around 3:20 a.m., according to Dallas police. The resident grabbed a handgun and called out in the darkness but no one replied. As Dejean-Jones kicked in the bedroom door, the resident shot him. Dejean-Jones collapsed in the hallway. He was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries, police said. Dallas police homicide detectives are investigating.
According to his agent Scott Nichols, Dejean-Jones was in Dallas to visit his girlfriend and daughter, who was celebrating her first birthday. His agent said that Dejean-Jones went to the wrong apartment, being unfamiliar with the complex, and thought he had been locked out by his girlfriend. Sources told ESPN that the pair had been fighting before the incident.
Toxicology report results are at least a "couple of weeks" away, according to the NBA's official statement on the matter.
Dejean-Jones was signed by the Pelicans as a rookie free agent in 2015. The team signed Dejean-Jones to a three-year contract this year.
He attended the University of Southern California and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before transferring to Iowa State.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shared his condolences in a release Saturday:
"Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his journey to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league."
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