Tragedy for head coach of Houston Rockets as daughter dies aged just 23 after losing long battle with lupus

Kevin McHale, the head coach of the Houston Rockets, has been left heartbroken after his daughter died on Saturday.

Alexandra 'Sasha' McHale was just 23 years old and had long struggled with lupus.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Sasha has suffered from the auto-immune disease for some time, and was hospitalized with a related condition.



Passed away: College student Alexandra 'Sandy' McHale has died of lupus aged 23

Tragic: Sandy was the daughter of Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale

Team owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement that he extends his 'deepest condolences' over the loss of the McHales' 'beautiful daughter.'

'Kevin and Lynn are loving and dedicated parents who will need our continued support throughout this very difficult time,' he continued.

'Our entire organization is mourning the McHale family’s loss and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.'

The 54-year-old coach has been on leave for the past two weeks to spend time with his family, with assistant Kelvin Sampson taking the role of acting head coach in his absence.

Heartbroken: McHale has been on leave from his job ever since his daughter fell ill two weeks ago

Last week, Sampson told reporters the situation was 'improving', but Sasha apparently took a turn for the worse in recent days.

Sasha was a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth until her illness - which was first diagnosed last year - forced her to take a leave of absence, according to the Star Tribune .

She was a star basketball player at Totino-Grace High School, where she wore the same number 32 jersey which her father had sported throughout his career.

' She was an outstanding basketball player and the life of the locker room, her high school Shannon Hartinger said. 'She was a joy to be around. You could tell she loved to play basketball.'

Loss: Sasha, pictured with a friend, was said to be 'a joy to be around' by her high school basketball coach

LUPUS: USUALLY TREATABLE

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease which affects women much more frequently than men.

It causes the body to attack its own tissue, leading to inflammation which usually manifests itself in visible swelling and joint pain.

A tell-tale sign of lupus is the 'butterfly rash' which spreads across the face of many sufferers.

While there is no cure for the disease, the vast majority of those who have it live a normal lifespan with the help of medication.

Members of the Rockets team publicly expressed their support for their coach after the sad news was announced.



James Harden tweeted: 'Praying for coach McHale and his family.' Chandler Parsons added on Twitter: 'R.I.P. Sasha.'



McHale spent several years with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a coach and executive before joining the Rockets last year following two seasons as a television analyst.



'While Kevin was with our organization, we all watched Sasha grow up and become an outstanding young woman,' Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. 'She will be sorely missed by her family and friends.'