Pelicans' Bryce Dejean-Jones dies of gunshot wound in Dallas

Bryce Dejean-Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans has died, the team confirmed on Saturday.

He was 23.

Police say Dejean-Jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a Dallas apartment.

Sergeant corporal DeMarquis Black said in a statement that officers were called early Saturday morning and found the player collapsed in an outdoor passageway. He was taken to a hospital where he died.

Black says a person living at the apartment was sleeping when he heard his door kicked open. The man retrieved a handgun and fired when Dejean-Jones began kicking the bedroom door.

Dejean-Jones was a Los Angeles native, and it wasn't immediately clear why he was in Dallas.

Dejean-Jones went undrafted in 2015 after playing his final college season with the Iowa State Cyclones. The 6-foot-6 guard also played at USC and UNLV.

After starting this season in the D-League, Dejean-Jones signed consecutive 10-day contracts with the Pelicans before agreeing to a three-year, partially-guaranteed deal on Feb. 19. The shooting guard was thrust into action due to a phalanx of injuries to the New Orleans roster, and showed some promise in 14 games before suffering a wrist fracture himself.

"Bryce overcame a lot of obstacles to get to this point in his career," his agent Scott Nichols told ESPN's Justin Verrier. "He was a joy to be around, a talent just turning the corner in his career."

-With files from The Associated Press