Clippers video assistant Assane Drame, 26, killed in car crash
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Clippers are mourning the death of a video assistant in the organization's digital content group.
Assane Drame, 26, died in a car accident Monday night. The native of Blackwood, New Jersey, had just worked earlier Monday at the team's media day.
He apparently pulled his car to the shoulder when moments later, his vehicle was hit by another car, causing fatal injuries.
Drame joined the Clippers in 2019 as a video intern and rose to video assistant.
"The Clippers organization mourns the loss of Assane Drame, a dedicated employee, a talented videographer and a loyal friend," the team said in a statement. "He was a hard worker and a gentle soul, passionate about his craft and kind to his colleagues, earning the respect and admiration of players, coaches and staff."
Drame's death came as a shock to the organization, which is holding training camp in San Diego. Players including Terance Mann and Nicolas Batum tweeted their respects once they heard the news.
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Drame's sister Fatou posted to Twitter about her brother's passing.
"I wanted to personally thank everyone that helped to find information on the whereabouts of my brother, Assane Drame. I tried to reach out to as many people as I could personally. I'm sorry if this is how you find out, but unfortunately Assane passed away from car accident," she tweeted.
According to his LinkedIn page, Drame graduated from Lindenwold High School in 2013. He attended Rutgers University-Camden, on his way to graduating from Rowan University in 2017 with a degree in radio, television, and film.
He is survived by his family in New Jersey.
ESPN and WPVI-TV contributed to this report.
