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Former LSU player Josh Maravich, son of Pete Maravich, dies at 42

FILE - LSU senior Josh Maravich, left, shakes hands with coach John Brady as his mother, Jackie Maravich, center, watches during Senior Day events before LSU's NCAA college basketball game against Vanderbilt on March 5, 2005, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. Maravich, son of Pete Maravich, has died at age 42, the university announced Saturday, June 8, 2024. Josh Maravich was found unresponsive at home Friday, the LSU statement said. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)
Josh Maravich followed his father to LSU. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)

Josh Maravich, a former LSU basketball player and the son of the legendary Pete Maravich, died Friday, the Tigers announced. He was 42 years old.

The cause of death was not revealed, though he was said to have died at his family home in Covington, Louisiana.

Josh was one of Pete's two children, the other being his older brother Jaeson. Josh was only 5 years old when the NCAA men's all-time leading scorer died of heart failure in a pickup game at age 40, leaving the boys with their mother Jackie.

Despite their father's absence, Josh continued to pursue a basketball career. Per LSU, he scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career at St. Paul's School in Covington and averaged 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals per game in his senior year, earning MVP honors in his district.

He knew from a young age he wanted to play at LSU in college like his father, even though he wasn't a top recruit and had to walk on:

“I wanted to come here for my dad to make him proud,” Josh said in a 2005 article in the LSU school paper, The Daily Reveille. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a star player, but for me being a walk-on was what I always wanted to do.”

Maravich played sporadically for the Tigers under head coach John Brady, scoring four points in seven career games. He continued to be involved with LSU after graduating, helping guide the creation of a statue honoring his father.

Per LSU, funeral arrangements for Maravich will be announced at a later date.