Kevin McHale's daughter dies at age 23

Alexandra "Sasha" McHale, daughter of Celtics legend and current Rockets coach Kevin McHale, died on Saturday. She was 23 years old.

"I extend my deepest condolences to Kevin and Lynn for the loss of their beautiful daughter, Sasha, on Saturday afternoon," said Rockets owner Leslie Alexander in a statement. "Kevin and Lynn are loving and dedicated parents who will need our continued support throughout this very difficult time. Our entire organization is mourning the McHale family's loss, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers."

According to a Houston Chronicle report [1], Sasha McHale suffered from the auto-immune disease lupus and was hospitalized for a related condition. A month ago, she tweeted [2], "The only good thing about being sick on my birthday is spending quality time with my dad. He's lucky I love my @HoustonRockets."

Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease for which current Celtics player Chris Wilcox has long raised money for research, launching his "Power Forward to Cure Lupus [3]" initiative after losing two aunts to the disease and learning of his sister Tehesia's diagnosis as a 17-year-old high school senior.

For more on this story, click here [4].