Gene Ransom dead – Basketball Hall of Famer passes away after being shot while driving on Interstate 880 in Oakland

GENE Ransom, a member of the Golden Bears sports hall of fame, has died after being shot while driving on Interstate 880 in Oakland, California.

Ransom rose to fame during his years as a point guard on the University of California, Berkeley men’s basketball team.

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Ransom was found with a fatal gunshot wound[/caption]

According to KPIX, California Highway Patrol officers responded to a crash on I-880 on Friday around 5:15pm local time.

The car reportedly crashed into a guardrail and stopped.

Upon arrival, cops found a victim who had been fatally shot.

A family member confirmed Ransom’s death to KPIX on Saturday.

Ransom attended Berkeley High School in the 1970s before going on to star on the Cal hoops team.

While at Cal, the 5-foot-9 point guard earned a handful of records and honors, according to the school’s athletics website.

Ransom held the Cal record for most minutes played in a game.

On February 10, 1977, he played 63.5 minutes in the team’s 5-overtime win over Oregon. He scored 36 points in that game.

Ransom had two other 30+ point games with Cal, scoring 30 against Washington on January 12, 1978, and 31 points against Oregon State on February 16, 1978.

He also led Cal in assists during all three years he played, averaging 17.0 points per game during the 1977-78 season.

After his time at Cal, Ransom was signed by the Golden State Warriors in 1979, but he never played an NBA game.

He was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

In a statement obtained by KPIX, Cal Athletics assistant director of communications Gerrit Van Genderen expressed “shock” at the news.

“We are shocked to hear the reports that Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Gene Ransom has been identified as a victim in a deadly freeway shooting.

“Our thoughts are with Gene’s family and friends for this tragic loss.

Gene was one of the greatest players in our men’s basketball program’s history and he will be greatly missed.”

The investigation is ongoing.