Former Michigan basketball star Demetrius Calip passes away at 53

The Michigan Wolverines lost a decorated member of their basketball alumni, as former guard Demetrius Calip passed away at 53. Calip played for the Wolverines from 1987-91 and was part of the school’s 1989 national championship team.

Rest Easy Demetrius, rest easy
🙏🏽🙏🏽#GoBlue FOREVER! pic.twitter.com/e12fWNR1wV

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 7, 2023

Michigan’s Demetrius Calip passes away at 53

The team confirmed the passing of Calip on Monday with a post on social media sharing images of his time with the Wolverines, including him cutting down the nets.

Calip’s son, Demetrius Calip II also shared the news with a touching farewell message that revealed his father passed away on Sunday.

“Dad. 2/5/23. Love you forever,” read Calip II’s message. “He was the perfect example of a great dad and I can only be grateful and happy.”

Calip was a native of Flint, Michigan and started his career with the Wolverines as a backup. Despite coming off the bench, Calip was a big contributor to each of their wins during the 1988-89 title run with his scoring off the bench. From there, he averaged 20.5 points per game a senior in his final season and eventually signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted player.

In his four years with Michigan, he played in 96 games with 42 starts — averaging 9.6 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds.

After playing in seven games during the 1991-92 season for the Lakers, Calip pursued a stint as an actor following his playing career. Calip made appearances in the basketball-themed movies “Blue Chips” and “Eddie.”