On Wednesday morning, sportswriter Robby Kalland shared on Twitter that Atlanta-based NBA blogger Bo Churney had died by suicide and that Churney’s brother had hoped to spread word to the online NBA community.
Within hours, a fundraising page set up to benefit an Atlanta organization that provides outreach to at-risk LGBT youth in Atlanta had raised more than $5,000 in Churney’s honor.
The news of Churney’s death rocked much of the Twitter NBA world, with dozens of people, from high-profile writers to regular fans, expressing shock and sharing their memories.
I have some terrible news this morning, I got a call from @bochurney's brother and learned Bo committed suicide yesterday. He wanted me to let all of Bo's friends in the NBA/Twitter community know. Bo was a great writer but a better friend and person and he will be dearly missed.
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) May 23, 2018
Tragic, awful news about @bochurney. All my best wishes to everyone that knew him well. Just horrible.
It’s on all of us to be kind to each other and show that we care. You never know how much that little step to check in and say hello can mean.
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) May 23, 2018
I don’t even have the words right now…one of my favorite twitter followers and eventual colleagues @bochurney committed suicide yesterday. I will always remember Bo as one of the nicest people thanks to this app.
— Andrew Hammond (@ahammALDC) May 23, 2018
So, so sad this morning to learn of the passing of @bochurney Life is so precious and to have his spirit extinguished so suddenly leaves a hole in our universe. RIP.
— Bob Rathbun (@BobRathbunTV) May 23, 2018
RIP @bochurney. The world is so, so much worse without you.
— Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch) May 23, 2018
Rest in peace @bochurney. I hope your soul is finally at ease
— Céad Míle Fáilte (@ColeyMick) May 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/MichaelFosterSN/status/999327829669175296
So sad to hear of @bochurney passing. Was one of first basketball twitter people i ever followed. Always seemed to have the right take and attitude about everything.
— David Zavac (@DavidZavac) May 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/IanDougherty/status/999311806077136896
we love you @bochurney
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) May 23, 2018
The Atlanta Hawks acknowledged Churney — who wrote for a number of publications including HawksHoop, Atlanta’s ESPN TrueHoop affiliate — through both their main account and their PR account.
Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of @bochurney. He was a very talented writer and will be missed dearly. https://t.co/wvmyhFg10F
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 23, 2018
(1/2) Hawks PR is saddened to hear of the passing of @bochurney. His genuine passion and enthusiasm for covering the team came through in his writing and his witty and thoughtful social media posts, and we always enjoyed catching up at Philips Arena.
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) May 23, 2018
(2/2) Our condolences go out to Bo’s family and the Hawks social media community.
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) May 23, 2018
The NBATV show The Starters even displayed a photo of Churney’s Twitter avatar in its studio Wednesday.
Appreciate @TheStarters showing Bo love. We'll miss you, @bochurney. pic.twitter.com/hmU8loiZXs
— Graydon Gordian (@MrGordian) May 23, 2018
Meanwhile, Kalland and fellow writer Jared Dubin set up a fundraising page, with proceeds benefiting Lost N Found Youth, an Atlanta-based non-profit that, per its website, “exists to end homelessness for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) and all sexual minority youth.”
“If you loved him, if you liked him, if you knew him, if you just want to help some kids who need help, donate here,” NBA writer and Hardwood Paroxysm founder Matt Moore wrote on Twitter while sharing a link to the page.
For @bochurney:
In his honor, there’s a fund for at-risk LGBTQ kids in Atlanta at @LostNFoundYouth
If you loved him, if you liked him, if you knew him, if you just want to help some kids who need help, donate here:https://t.co/Ul0pU27lao
We already miss you so much, Bo.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 23, 2018
As of 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the page had raised $5,132, a figure that was rising by the minute. You can donate right here.
About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.