Chad Posthumus, the captain for his hometown Winnipeg Sea Bears, has died less than two weeks after suffering a brain aneurysm.
He died on Wednesday and was 33 years old, the same number he wore on his jersey.
Posthumus suffered the aneurysm on Nov. 9 during a training session. He underwent surgery but there were complications that left him in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
“Chad fought hard but was unable to recover,” the team announced in an Instagram post on Thursday. “Chad was and will always remain the face of our team.
“With Chad, we’ve won, lost, and experienced joy together and now we must come together again in grief, and mourn his loss.”
The Posthumus family, in a statement released by the Sea Bears on Thursday, said he died from “a catastrophic stroke as the result of surgical complications.”
“We thank you for all of the support and prayers we received through this difficult time. We love you, Chad,” the statement also says.
A book of condolences has been created for Posthumus and can be accessed through the Sea Bears website.
The six-foot-11 forward was the first signing in Sea Bears franchise history after they joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2023.
He had played two seasons with the Ottawa BlackJacks, where he became the first player in CEBL history to post a “20-20” after recording 23 points and 20 rebounds.
Posthumus was born and raised in Winnipeg and played high school basketball for the River East Collegiate Kodiaks.
He has also played with the Canadian national team and the CEBL’s Saskatchewan Rattlers. He helped lead the Rattlers to the first-ever CEBL championship in the league’s inaugural 2019 season.
“He gave so much of his time and energy to both the team and our community,” the Sea Bears’ Instagram post states. “For that we are eternally grateful.”
The CEBL also posted a statement about Posthumus on its social media pages.
“Chad had a love for people and for the game of basketball that lit up even the largest arenas. His spirit and passion touched the hearts of fans and inspired teammates and all of us blessed to have shared Chad’s all-too-brief life with him,” the statement said.
“Chad represented the best in aspiring Canadian basketball players during his professional career in Japan, Argentina, and here at home. Off the court he was an academic all-American in college and was a dedicated advocate for those living with diabetes.
“The impact Chad made on our world is as undeniable as the force that he was on the court.”
Mike Morreale, CEBL commissioner and co-founder, posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning, expressing “complete and utter sadness” about Posthumus.
Morreale called him a close friend and someone who loved the game of basketball, teammates, fans and family.
“Chad was a champion on and off the court and was as big in life and happiness as he was in size and strength,” the post said.
“This news will reverberate across the basketball world, in his hometown of Winnipeg, and to the thousands that he touched along his journey. I will miss you big man and my life is better having had you in it. Rest in peace.”
Adam Wedlake, executive director of Basketball Manitoba, has known Posthumus from the time the player was a boy just getting started in the sport.
“He started out of programs with Winnipeg Minor Basketball as a youngster, so yeah, I knew him as a young, young kid. He was probably only five or six,” Wedlake told CBC Manitoba Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.
“It’s just amazing what he’s been able to do with basketball over his time with us. When you think back, it feels like a very long time, but sadly, it’s way too short.”
Like everyone else who described Posthumus, Wedlake said he was a “larger-than-life character” who lit up a room, whether it was a 15,000-seat facility like Canada Life Centre or a community gym doing a kids’ camp.
“He just drew that level of joy and enjoyment, and that’s what drew people to him,” Wedlake said.
“His basketball resumé took him to all corners of the world, and he played at so many different levels. To come back in his last two seasons here and to suit up on Winnipeg soil and be essentially the poster boy for a new program here, it was amazing.
“And of course, that’s what hurts the most, is to know that there was still time ahead of us to enjoy all this.”
In lieu of flowers, the Posthumus family has asked people to consider a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or a memorial scholarship that will be set up in his name.
Further information about a celebration of life will be shared in the coming days, the family said.