Basketball Player Saves Referee's Life During Game

June 21, 2022

A minor league basketball player is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a referee after he collapsed mid-game from a heart attack.

basketball player saves ref cpr
Myles Copeland performing CPR

A basketball game in New York was in full swing when one of the referees suddenly collapsed on the court.

That's when Toledo Glass City basketball player Myles Copeland jumped into action.

"I run toward the emergencies, I don't run away from them," Copeland said.

That's because the 25-year-old is also a firefighter.

basketball player saves ref cpr
Myles Copeland

"I assessed the situation, trying to see what I could do to fix the problem," said Copeland. "He didn't have a pulse, he wasn't breathing so I instantly started CPR, what I was trained to do."

Copeland administered CPR on the referee for over 10 minutes and saved his life. By the time the referee was being wheeled away on a stretcher, he was alert and talking.

David Magley, the president of the basketball league, witnessed the whole thing.

"He was leaving us, he was changing colors, his breathing was just about out," said Magley. "Then Myles comes sprinting off the court and he starts pumping on his chest, and I'm looking up thinking who's this guy, where'd he come from? And then I noticed he had a uniform on and I realized this was one of our players. Myles said, 'It's okay, I'm a fireman.'"

Watch the video below.