Former Letran big man Jimly Lantaya passes away at 24

Bernadette Soriano

Jimly Lantaya, the 6-foot-9 anchor once central to Letran’s paint presence, passed away in General Santos City on August 2, Saturday morning.

The 24-year old reliable interior enforcer, Lantaya carried championship DNA — twice hoisting the NCAA crown with the Knights, clinching the UAAP juniors title with NU-Nazareth, and most recently suiting up for GenSan and South Cotabato in the MPBL and PSL circuits.

After undergoing a heart procedure last March, he returned to General Santos in June, where he seemed to be recovering well: smiling, social, and unburdened by signs of recent surgery.

“Okay naman po siya,” shared his cousin Arche Leo Lantaya Amor. “Normal, masayahin, at parang walang opera nung nandito na siya sa amin.”

But come Friday, August 1, discomfort prompted a rushed hospital visit; by the following morning, he had passed.

Lantaya’s sudden passing rocked basketball circles, with teammates and peers filling timelines with grief and gratitude.

“Thank you for all the times we shared, for all the happiness and sadness you were with us,” posted Meralco Bolts guard Kurt Reyson, one of Lantaya’s brothers in arms during Letran’s title runs.

“No more pain kap! Mahal na mahal kita pare, fly high,” said fellow ex-Knight Kint Ariair. 

“Salamat sa pagpapasaya mo sa lahat ng nakapaligid sayo,” wrote Kyle Tolentino, echoing the heartbreak of those who once shared the court with Lantaya.