Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The family of <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/11/quiet-but-dependable-divine-adili-s-friends-remember-him-beyond-the-court-1946">Divine Adili</a> has expressed its gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy and support it has received following his death, according to a statement relayed by former NCAA MVP Prince Eze. The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA product has stepped in to help facilitate communication for Adili&#x27;s family in the Philippines. Ateneo big man Adili, along with incoming rookie Rene Baterbonia, passed away in a drowning incident last Monday while they were at a team building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/8/uaap-ateneo-s-adili-baterbonia-pass-away-in-drowning-incident-1959">READ: Ateneo’s Adili, Baterbonia pass away in drowning incident</a></div>Eze shared the Adili family&#x27;s statement on social media on Thursday. &quot;The family of CHUKWUEMEKA DIVINE sincerely appreciates all the prayers, love, kindness, and support extended to us during this difficult time. Your comforting words, presence, and encouragement have been a great source of strength to our family as we mourn the loss of our beloved,&quot; the family said. &quot;We are deeply grateful for your compassion and solidarity during this period of grief. May Almighty God richly bless each and every one of you for your generosity and heartfelt support,&quot; they added.The remains of the 21-year-old Nigerian big man are still at the Arlington Memorial Chapel, pending the completion of documents for repatriation to Nigeria. Eze said they decided to step up to help connect Adili&#x27;s family, given the distance. &quot;About Adili&#x27;s family, the communication, the distance from communicating for them and here is so, the time zone and everything is so big that now, they are just waking up now, and for them to catch up with our time zone is very hard. And I have to step in with some of the guys that were with me yesterday to, for us to decide, yes, let&#x27;s help our brother the little way we can,&quot; he said. &quot;So yesterday, we were able to talk to the father and he gave us his blessing that we should go forward, and do it. So right now, I&#x27;m in communication with the family back home, like, updating them about the progress,&quot; Eze added. The former NCAA MVP, who also hails from Nigeria, said the family also needs support financially since Adili was their breadwinner.  &quot;His family really needs help. It&#x27;s not that the money is going to bring them back, at least the love they have for Divine will be so much. I know not everybody will be able to donate... If anybody can contribute, that&#x27;s fine, if you can&#x27;t just pray for my brother,&quot; Eze said. Given this appeal, the Adili family has authorized Eze to receive contributions on their behalf, with the account numbers shared on his post.  In a social media post, Divine&#x27;s father, Elias Adili, had sought justice for his son. &quot;Our tears seem endless,&quot; he wrote.His mother, Ifeoma, earlier told ABS-CBN News that she wants answers as to what led to her son&#x27;s death.&quot;I need an answer, I need a clear answer from the Philippines, from Ateneo Blue Eagle, from the coach. Please I just need an answer. Let me know what happen to my son,&quot; she said.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/12/divine-adili-father-demise-out-of-carelessness-1542">READ: Adili&#x27;s father seeks justice for athlete&#x27;s ‘demise out of carelessness’</a></div>The family had requested an autopsy on Adili&#x27;s body, according to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Eze said he could not believe the news of Adili and Baterbonia&#x27;s passing, since he knows his fellow Nigerian cager well. &quot;When I saw that, I&#x27;m like, no way. No way. I can&#x27;t believe this. It doesn&#x27;t feel real. It doesn&#x27;t feel real. I have to like pause for a while. So like, I mean, it&#x27;s unbelievable because I said it&#x27;s unbelievable because he can fight his way out,&quot; he said. &quot;He&#x27;s strong. He can fight his way out. He&#x27;s tall. He&#x27;s fast. So, I mean, I couldn&#x27;t put my head together to understand why him? Why now? I mean, it&#x27;s so devastating,&quot; Eze shared. <div> </div><div>REMEMBERING DIVINE</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781274865078UAAP 88 MBB AdU vs. ADMU- Divine Adili-7971.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Late Ateneo basketball player Divine Adili. UAAP Media/file"/>Late Ateneo basketball player Divine Adili. UAAP Media/fileEze shared he met Adili through basketball, bonding through the sport they both love. </div>&quot;I know him through like most of the guys I know here. We all know each other from playing basketball and especially the last, there&#x27;s a game that we used to play together, we Africans. So he&#x27;s part of the team and he plays good on that game. So that&#x27;s why I recognize that, okay, this guy is actually good,&quot; he said. &quot;We used to message each other. Like sometimes he used to ask me if I&#x27;m available to play commercial leagues. So if I&#x27;m available, he would just give me the contact. I would just go and play,&quot; Eze added. The former NCAA MVP said the last time he spoke to Adili was about the possibility of playing in a game where he himself could not suit up. &quot;[I thought of Divine] Not only because he can play, but because of his attitude, the way he approaches the game, he gives 100% every time he plays,&quot; he shared. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/12/baldwin-speaks-on-routine-training-run-that-led-to-deaths-of-baterbonia-adili-2201">READ: Baldwin speaks on ‘routine training run’ that led to deaths of Baterbonia, Adili</a></div>When asked what he will remember the most about Adili, Eze said it&#x27;s his kindness both on and off the court. &quot;Up till now, I don&#x27;t know if I should get mad or if I shouldn&#x27;t get mad or if I should feel sad. Because he&#x27;s kind. I don&#x27;t know. Everybody that asks about him will always tell you good things about him. Good things about him. I&#x27;ve never heard any bad thing about him, except somebody, some people that he dunked on,&quot; he said. &quot;His game speaks a lot about him. And that&#x27;s the word that I&#x27;m going to say, but his game speaks more. He doesn&#x27;t speak much... his game will do the talking for him. So, we&#x27;re going to miss him because I don&#x27;t know. We&#x27;re going to miss him,&quot; Eze added. At the end of the day, Eze said all the Adili family wants is answers, the truth as to what really happened to their son.  &quot;Their family is taking everything slow by slow. And, and because they don&#x27;t, the real truth now is that they want to know what really happened to their son,&quot; he shared. &quot;I hope they don&#x27;t forget Divine. I hope they don’t forget him. I hope they put him and his family in a better position to grieve properly... I know there is a mistake somewhere. I hope they give him the justice they deserve,&quot; Eze added. Ateneo will hold a candlelight service, similar to a wake, for Adili starting on Saturday at the university&#x27;s Loyola campus.

The family of Divine Adili has expressed its gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy and support it has received following his death, according to a statement relayed by former NCAA MVP Prince Eze.

The family of Divine Adili has expressed its gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy and support it has received following his death, according to a statement relayed by former NCAA MVP Prince Eze.

Former Perpetual star Prince Eze still in disbelief over Divine Adili's death: 'So devastating'

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Former Perpetual star Prince Eze still in disbelief over Divine Adili's death: 'So devastating'

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 12, 2026 10:48 PM PHT

Read More:

Basketball

Divine Adili

Ateneo Blue Eagles

Prince Eze

Rene Baterbonia

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