14-year-old basketball player dies after cardiac arrest during training

14-year-old talented Russian basketball player Aron Semerninov has died after suddenly collapsing and suffering cardiac arrest during a training session.

The tragic incident occurred on Tuesday, August 25. Notably, this date also marked the 45th birthday of Aron's father, Roman Semerninov, the head coach of the Russian U20 national team.

Despite his young age, Aron Semerninov was considered one of the most promising basketball players. He previously trained at the youth academy of the Lokomotiv-Kuban club in Krasnodar.

In the spring of this year, he moved to the Moscow region and joined a newly formed youth team in Khimki. The tragic event took place while he was training with this team.

The young athlete had already achieved impressive results for his age. He won a bronze medal in the Russian National Championship with the U14 team and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the Krasnodar Region Championship.

The Lokomotiv-Kuban Academy shared warm memories of Aron, noting that he joined the club's system in 2023.

“Aron joined the red-green club system in 2023 and quickly became a reliable teammate and a good friend. At the academy, he trained under the guidance of coaches and gained valuable experience for future victories.

A year later, the basketball player began representing the newly formed 'Loko-2012' team. The talented point guard was one of his team's most promising players, consistently leading in points and efficiency in national and regional competitions,” the academy stated.

The summer of 2026 was a difficult and sorrowful period for Russian basketball. On June 26, Sergey Ivanov, honorary president of the VTB United League and one of the most influential figures in Russian basketball over the last thirty years, passed away.

On July 28, Eduard Sandler, president and head coach of Dynamo Primorye, passed away at the age of 44. On July 30, Olympic champion and legendary basketball player Ivan Edeshko died at the age of 81.

On August 23, 36-year-old basketball agent Sergey Indeykin also passed away following a sudden illness.

Aron's father, Roman Semerninov, who is also the head coach of the Khimki basketball club, wrote heartbreaking words on social media following the loss of his son.

“My heart is broken, there are no words left. Darkness has covered everything, and every line is filled with pain. You are my beloved, dear son. I cannot even imagine how to live from now on.

You will live forever. You are our hero. Fly and play basketball. We love you beyond words and believe you are still alive — you just flew far away to play basketball,” he wrote.

In addition to the late Aron Semerninov, he is survived by his mother, Elena.