Taiye Bello, standout Gophers women’s basketball player from 2016-20, has died, her family reveals

Taiye Bello, one of the top rebounders in Gophers women’s basketball history, has died, her family announced Friday. She was 26.

In a post online, the family wrote, “The Bello/Lawal family is saddened to inform you of the tragic loss of Taiye Bello. Taiye was a beautiful daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and creative. She will be greatly missed by all who experienced her light. We ask that you respect our privacy in this time of mourning.”

The Gophers women’s basketball program posted on social media, “We are saddened to hear about the passing of Gopher Women’s Basketball alumna, Taiye Bello.”

Details of Bello’s death were not revealed.

Bello, a 2016 graduate of Southfield-Lathrup (Michigan) High School, lettered four years for the Gophers from 2016-20. One of Bello’s teammates with the Gophers was her twin sister, Kehinde, also a four-year letter winner with the Gophers.

Taiye Bello, who stood 6-2, finished her career as one of five players in program history with more than 1,000 rebounds. She is the Gophers' all-time leader in offensive rebounds (462), including a program single-season record 152 offensive rebounds in 2018-19. Her total of 380 rebounds in 2018-19 is the fourth-best single-season mark in program history.

She is ranked third in program history in career defensive rebounds (549). She had a career-high 22 rebounds against Rutgers on Feb. 20, 2020, and her career-high 12 offensive rebounds at Illinois on Feb. 25, 2018, tied Amanda Zahui B. for the program single-game record.

Bello, who was second-team All-Big Ten in 2020 and honorable-mention All-Big Ten in 2019, is fourth in program history with 45 games of 10 or more rebounds. She is fifth in field-goal percentage (.512) and blocks (129), sixth in double-doubles (27) and ninth in rebound average (8.3).

In high school, she was All-Oakland County first team and second-team Class A All-State in 2016. She also played AAU for the Michigan Storm and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee in January 2016.