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Kings guard, former Virginia star Kyle Guy’s grandpa dies due to coronavirus

Sacramento Kings rookie and former Virginia standout Kyle Guy’s grandfather died on Friday night due to COVID-19, he announced on social media on Saturday.

Guy, who helped lead Virginia to a national title last year, quickly used his touching tribute on Instagram to plead for others to take the coronavirus seriously, too.

“Last night my grandpa passed away to be with the Lord,” Guy wrote in Instagram, in part. “COVID-19 has destroyed a lot of families. I urge and beg you all to take this seriously. You don’t want this to be what wakes you up.”

Guy averaged 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds with the Cavaliers last season en route to the national championship, and dropped 24 points in their overtime win in the championship game.

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He was selected in the second round of the draft last year by the New York Knicks and is currently on a two-way contract with the Kings. The 22-year-old has played in just two games with them so far this season, but was averaging more than 21 points in 37 games with the Stockton Kings in the G-League before the league suspended operations due to the coronavirus.

“When I was 7 or 8 my grandpa had me sign a piece of paper saying he’d be my manager (jokingly) if I ever made it to the NBA,” Guy wrote on Instagram, in part. “Something as small as that was always on my mind while I tried to make that dream come true. I know he’s up there waiting for his cut lmao … and one day, I’ll give it to him.”

There were more than 1.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the world as of Saturday afternoon and more than 300,600 in the United States alone, according to The New York Times. At least 8,100 have died due to the virus in the country, too.

Kings rookie Kyle Guy's grandpa died due to the coronavirus on Friday night.
Kings rookie Kyle Guy's grandpa died due to the coronavirus on Friday night. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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