Diego Maradona dead: NBA world expresses shock over death of football icon

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, 60, passed away in his home on Wednesday. Recovering from recent brain surgery, Maradona's death was announced by his attorney. The legend's death was another blow to the sporting world, who took to social media to express their loss. The NBA world – who already lost Kobe Bryant earlier this year – grieved Maradona's passing away, frustrated at the year 2020. 

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NBA stars mourn Diego Maradona's death on social media

Dallas Mavericks icon Luka Doncic was one of the many NBA stars who reacted to Maradona's death. Not only did Doncic mourn Maradona's death, but he also showed a thumbs down to the year 2020. Pau Gasol simply wrote Maradona's name, before adding a praying hands emoji. "Maradona passed away ...... what a yea," Terrance Mann wrote, before referring to him as the GOAT. Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley, Kristaps Porzingis and Larry Nance Jr are others who mourned Maradona's death on Twitter. 

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Maradona cause of death

As per reports, Maradona passed away due to a cardiac arrest. Despite all his struggles later on, Maradona enjoyed an illustrious career, helping his country and clubs achieve numerous victories. His cocaine addiction started affecting his game, where he even faced a 15-month ban after failing a drug test. 

Maradona retired in 1997, when he was 37 years old. In 2004, he had been hospitalized for heart issues, which were apparently caused by cocaine. A similar incident had taken place in 2000. He had once referred to cocaine as his "toughest rival", later revealing that he had overcome his problem. 

Considered a GOAT by many, Maradona started playing with Argentinos Juniors, before transferring to Boca Juniors for $4 million. He went on to play for Barcelona after the impressive 1982 World Cup, where he signed a world-record price of £5 million ($7.6 million). While with Napoli, Maradona helped them win two league titles, scoring a total of 115 goals. He represented Argentina in 91 international events, playing four FIFA World Cups. 

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Maradona and Kobe Bryant death 

While tributes continue to pour in for Maradona, fans took to blame 2020 again, as the world lost Kobe Bryant and Maradona in the same year. An old interview of Bryant was shared, where the Black Mamba spoke about loving Maradona, referring to him as his idol. When Bryant had passed away on January 26, Maradona had taken to Instagram to share a tribute for the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his daughter Gianna – who passed away with him in the tragic helicopter crash. 

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(Image credits: AP)