Stretch of downtown Winnipeg street renamed after 'hometown hero' Chad Posthumus

A street in downtown Winnipeg has been given an honorary name in memory of Chad Posthumus, the Sea Bears basketball team's late captain, who is being remembered as a beacon of light on and off the court. 

Donald Street, from Portage to Graham avenues, was officially given the commemorative name Chad Posthumus Way at a ceremony on Friday.

Mayor Scott Gillingham presented the sign with the honorary name to Posthumus's family, including his parents and siblings, before crews hung it on a light pole outside the Canada Life Centre. 

"Chad was in many ways a larger-than-life individual," Jessie Posthumus, Chad's brother, told reporters.

"To see his name going up in such a prominent place of honour … just keeping his legacy going is so important to me."

The Canada Life Centre is the arena where the Sea Bears play home games and where Posthumus "thrilled crowds, made a lot of fans and had an impact on a lot of people," Gillingham said.  

"The decision just seemed to be very fitting," the mayor said. "We wanted to find a location that really represented Chad.

"He was the face of the Sea Bears, a hometown hero, an anchor for the team." 

Posthumus was the first player to sign with the Sea Bears after Winnipeg got a Canadian Elite Basketball League team in 2023.

He underwent surgery in November after suffering a brain aneurysm during a training session. Complications left him in critical condition in the intensive care unit. He died less than two weeks later.

Posthumus was 33 years old, the same number he wore on his jersey as team captain. 

"Chad was a true leader, on and off the court," Winnipeg Sea Bears President Jason Smith said at the unveiling ceremony, held on the same day the team is launching its 2025 season. 

"Whether it was running our youth camps in underserved communities or helping repaint the Mayfair [Recreation Centre basketball] court on a sweltering hot day …  Chad showed up fully, humbly, and always with all of his heart."

Smith said Posthumus would bond with his teammates at the start of training camp, making the season feel "officially underway" with infectious energy and optimism that turned him into a beacon of positivity for everyone around him. 

"To lose someone like Chad, so young, so full of life, is a tragedy that words can never fully capture," Smith said. 

The honorary name serves as a reminder that Posthumus's legacy didn't end with his last game, Smith said. He hopes Posthumus can continue to be an inspiration for children in "the city he loved and was so proud to be from." 

Since Posthumus's death, there have been several other tributes in his memory, including scholarships from Basketball Manitoba in his name, the renaming of the Winnipeg Minor Basketball skills competition into the Posthumus Family Hoopfest, and donations raised with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

"In Chad's time on this earth, he managed to touch the lives of so many people, and because of this, many in the community have wanted to give back," Jessie Posthumus said.