USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Loyola High and Harvard-Westlake tennis teams support Live Like Braun at the Southern Section Open Division playoff. (Photo – Loyola High School Athletics)
Since Southern California lost 18-year-old Braun Levi, something extraordinary has unfolded: a transformation born from heartbreak but fueled by something greater than grief. What began as shock and sorrow has blossomed into something bigger and enduring, a current of love, remembrance, and celebration flowing through communities near and far. From coastlines to classrooms, from tennis courts to the wider world, Braun’s name no longer echoes in silence but rises in song, an anthem of a life lived fully and fiercely.
On May 4, Braun—a radiant Loyola High senior, beloved tennis star, and volleyball manager—was taken too soon by an alleged drunk driver in Manhattan Beach. But this story isn’t defined by tragedy alone. It is one of boundless joy, fearless kindness, and an unshakable spirit that continues to inspire a united community.
From paddle-outs in the Pacific Ocean to standing ovations in school gyms, shared stories beneath string lights, and rallying cries on tennis courts, “Live Like Braun” has grown beyond a phrase into a philosophy, a movement, and a mission.
Braun didn’t live small. He lived with gravity-defying joy, purpose, and laughter that could disarm any room—a spirit so radiant it seemed to glow from within. As Loyola’s tennis coach Brian Held said, “From the first moments I met him as a freshman until his senior year, he shared the same joy for life all around. Perhaps as a freshman it was more boyish, but there was a terrific innocence to how much he valued joy in everyone, everything, and all interactions big and small.”
Braun’s leadership extended beyond Loyola’s campus. As a member of the 2022-2023 USTA Youth Leadership Council (YLC), he worked with peers nationwide to promote tennis and uplift youth voices. His dedication reflected a deep commitment not only to the sport but to building a more inclusive and supportive community.
Adelle, Jenn, and Dan Levi gather with friends, family, and members of the community to remember and celebrate Braun Levi’s life. (Photo – Bo Bridges)
A Presence That Changed a Community
Braun was adored not only for his athletic talent but for his warmth and genuine enthusiasm. Coach Held reflected: “I always knew since he was a freshman how special he was for our tennis team. He became a leader and captain the next three years. He had a huge impact on our team, and this was always clear.”
Teachers described Braun as focused, respectful, and always radiating joy. His spirit was even more remarkable in adversity.
“I also knew that he was a volleyball manager and just loved being involved, and that he was well liked. I wouldn’t describe him as ‘the most popular kid at school,’ but in the aftermath of the tragedy, what I didn’t realize, but became obvious in hindsight, was just how much of a positive impact he had on so many people! He did it with a million small positive droplets of interactions with people that had built up an incredible well of goodwill, that by the time of the accident, had filled up an entire ocean. All the stories and tributes and anecdotes of how he lived life to the fullest, made everyone feel great about themselves. He was doing that everywhere, literally everywhere, to the point where in any one of those groups, it may not have been obvious that it was happening at such a scale,” Held added.
These simple interactions built Braun’s enduring legacy, a kindness reaching far beyond tennis courts into every corner of his community. In class, every teacher Coach Held spoke with described him the same way: focused, respectful, and always radiating joy and enthusiasm in his interactions with both teachers and fellow students.
Resilience in the Face of Wildfires
What made Braun’s spirit even more extraordinary was the way it held firm when life tested him most. In January 2025, devastating wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and destroyed the Levi family’s home. Braun fled with little notice, briefly stopping to salvage a few belongings. He hitched a ride partway, then skateboarded miles through smoke and chaos to safety in Brentwood.
Remarkably, just one day earlier, Braun had been sitting front row in a packed lecture hall at Loyola High School, fully engaged in a community service project kickoff. As part of a three-week program, students were pausing academic classes to teach elementary schoolers about economics. Coach and teacher Brian Held remembers looking out at all 72 students and immediately noticing Braun: focused, attentive, and, as always, ready to lead with heart. “His eyes were glued in, locked, just like they always were in every class. He seemed genuinely excited about doing the project.”
Even after losing his home, Braun’s outlook didn’t change. “It was like he realized he had an abundance of positive energy,” Held said. “He was happy because he was okay, and so were the people he loved.” Braun didn’t dwell on what was lost. Instead, he poured himself into helping classmates and families who were struggling even more. With classmate Pat Ashby, he helped organize a peer-to-peer support retreat at Loyola for fellow students who had been displaced by the fires. The overnight gathering at Caruso Hall brought together friends from different high schools to share stories, hear from guest speakers, and simply be with one another. They shared a steak dinner, roasted s’mores, and began to heal together, and Braun, of course, was one of the featured speakers, offering comfort and inspiration.
Yes, Braun was sad to lose some possessions, but that sadness never defined him. His response to tragedy was not despair, but action. Compassion. Gratitude. He turned pain into purpose and showed everyone around him what true resilience looks like.
A volleyball court renamed “Braun’s Court” surrounded with memorabilia. (Photo – Bo Bridges)
A Morning in the Ocean, a Circle of Love
On a golden Saturday morning at Manhattan Beach, more than 200 friends, teammates, and community members gathered for a paddle-out, a sacred surf ritual that serves as a heartfelt goodbye and a profound thank you. This timeless ceremony, rooted deeply in surf culture, was a fitting tribute to Braun Levi, whose impact rippled as powerfully and endlessly as the ocean itself.
On the water, they formed a circle of boards and bodies—a living halo framed by drifting flowers—a serene, sacred embrace honoring Braun’s spirit. Some wept openly, others whispered prayers, and many allowed the silence to carry the weight of their grief and gratitude. Meanwhile, on the shore, Braun’s bright yellow surfboard lay still, transformed into a poignant canvas of love and memory, covered with signatures, messages, and vows scrawled by aching hearts, each promising to carry his light forward, no matter where life’s currents may lead.
Loyola High School’s Director of Campus Ministry, Matt Schaeffer, captured the deep symbolism of the moment: “The Catholic Church teaches that God is bigger than ourselves, and the ocean is a perfect symbol, ancient and ever new. God is love. Let us pray and thank God for the gift of light and love that was Braun. We ask for His help in living like Braun.”
Many wore t-shirts emblazoned with a phrase that has swiftly transcended words: Live Like Braun. More than a slogan, it has become a rallying cry and a way of life. Together, they danced, they laughed, and they remembered a young man who made every room brighter, every wave lighter, and every life touched by him a little more joyful.
Over 200 friends, teammates, and community members gathered for a paddle-out to honor Braun Levi’s life and legacy. (Photo – Bo Bridges)
A Celebration of Life Beyond Any Room
In the days following Braun Levi’s passing, a wave of grief was met with an even greater surge of love. Just 24 hours after the accident, Loyola High School opened the Caruso Center for a vigil, expecting a few hundred mourners. Instead, more than a thousand people arrived, so many that the venue couldn’t contain the crowd, spilling over with friends, classmates, teachers, coaches, and community members all united in heartbreak and remembrance.
When it came time to plan Braun’s official Celebration of Life the following Saturday, May 10, it was clear no ordinary space would do. The school moved the event outdoors to the Front Circle, a space traditionally reserved for graduations and major ceremonies. Even there, the turnout—nearly 4,000 strong—spilled out onto Venice Boulevard, a visible sign of just how many lives Braun had touched.
But it wasn’t just numbers that filled the space. It was presence. It was purpose. It was love.
“Braun was happy every single day. The kid was never sad. He was kind every day,” his father, Dan Levi, shared with profound pride and awe. It was Braun’s infectious laughter, his radiant smile, and his magnetic presence that made him unforgettable. This gathering wasn’t merely a tribute; it was a testament to how Braun lived: fully, fearlessly, and with a heart wide open to every person fortunate enough to cross his path.
Braun Levi wasn’t just a gifted athlete or a promising University of Virginia-bound student. He was a force of nature, someone whose kindness drew people in, whose laughter lifted every space. Friends remember his rare gift: making everyone feel seen, valued, and truly important. By simply being himself, Braun transformed ordinary moments into celebrations of life and connection.
In just a month at Loyola, Braun had made friends with nearly everyone. His laughter was loud. His smile, contagious. “There was never a sad day when Braun was around,” a friend recalled. By the end of his first year, he was not only a tennis all-star but a beloved leader whose spirit inspired everyone around him.
Father Billy Biegler, Loyola’s chaplain, captured it perfectly: “By the end of every day, Braun showed us how deeply loving, effortlessly joyful, and fearlessly a person could be; larger than life.”
Braun Levi didn’t just leave memories behind, he ignited a movement. A movement that challenges us all to laugh louder, love harder, and live every single day with boundless curiosity, radiant joy, and unshakable intention.
Wearing Live Like Braun gear, friends, family, and teammates showed up in full force to support Loyola Tennis at the Open Division playoffs. (Photo – Loyola High School Athletics)
Loyola Tennis Rallies in Remembrance
Just days after the tragedy, Loyola’s tennis team chose to move forward with their Southern Section Open Division playoff match against Harvard-Westlake. It was a difficult decision made after deep reflection and mourning.
“We want to play for Braun,” said Coach Brian Held, echoing the unanimous sentiment that emerged from a team meeting. The decision came not from coaches or administrators, but from the players themselves, a powerful tribute to their teammate, friend, and inspiration.
Players from both teams wore “Live Like Braun” shirts. After a moment of silence, Braun’s mother, Jenn Levi, stood among teammates, receiving hugs and support.
What followed was not just a match, it was a tribute filled with heart, brotherhood, and something rarely seen at the high school level.
Braun’s longtime doubles partner and best friend, Cooper Schwartz, had initially planned not to compete, feeling no match could truly honor their shared title. But he ultimately chose to play, carrying Braun’s racquet as a symbol of their bond, and used it for all three match points in his and partner Kiran Spurling’s doubles victory over Harvard-Westlake. The pair won all three sets, showing determination, focus, and heart in every rally.
“To me, “Live Like Braun” means to approach life with a positive attitude, not only to lift yourself up, but more importantly, to lift up those around you,” explained Spurling. “When I played doubles with Braun in a high school match, his positivity after every point made me feel a sense of comfort that I have never felt while playing doubles. His optimism even turned our matches around, from being on the brink of defeat to becoming victorious. Living like Braun means viewing obstacles as opportunities rather than setbacks, while inspiring others to do the same.”
Although Loyola fell 4-14 in the overall match, what they honored on the court went far beyond a final score. It was about love, legacy, and living with the kind of energy Braun brought to every moment.
And what surrounded them was just as powerful.
Roughly 250 Loyola students packed the stands, an atmosphere virtually unheard of at high school tennis matches, where even playoff games often draw only a handful of spectators. Their cheers rang out through every point, fueling the team with a vibrant, “Braun-like” positivity that lifted the entire day. It was a crowd that didn’t just witness tennis; they celebrated life together.
A post on X from the match captured the end of Cooper and Kiran’s first set win and offered a brief glimpse into this extraordinary moment, a sea of support that could only be inspired by someone who had touched so many lives so deeply.
Though the scoreboard didn’t tilt in their favor, the Loyola team walked away with something far more meaningful: a shared memory, a show of strength, and a powerful promise to carry Braun’s spirit with them every time they step on the court.
Loyola senior captain Cooper Schwartz holds up Braun Levi’s racquet after match point, playing in honor of his longtime doubles partner alongside freshman Kiran Spurling. (Photo – Matthew Wholihan)
What Braun Meant to His Teammates
For the Loyola High School tennis team, Braun Levi was more than a captain, he was the beating heart of the program. A unifier. A leader by example. A friend who made you feel like family. And now, in the wake of his tragic passing, his teammates are doing everything they can to carry his light forward.
“When I was beginning my first years at Loyola, Braun was there supporting me in every way he could,” Blaze Hinton noted. “He would tell me to keep pushing and always wanted what was best out of me. Even on the tennis court, he pushed me to what he knew I was capable of.”
His leadership wasn’t loud or flashy, it was steady, constant, and full of heart. “He was the light and leader of the team,” Hinton continued. “Whenever anyone felt down, Braun was always there to help push you back up and really wanted the whole team to connect and have a good time on the tennis court.”
Even in the smallest, most casual moments, Braun made an impression. “Whenever I saw him at school, he was always so casual, wearing flip flops and board shorts,” Hinton added. “He was always comfortable no matter what anyone thought of him.”
After Braun’s passing, Loyola’s team created a memory book for the Levi family, a collection of what it means to Live Like Braun. The words his teammates shared reflect not only who he was, but who they strive to become because of him.
“Living like Braun is being a connector, not a disrupter. Living like Braun is bringing smiles to those who are having a bad day. Living like Braun is the pursuit of an unachievable balance between life in the classroom, on the court, and on the dance floor,” wrote Cooper Schwartz. “If I can live 1 percent of the life Braun lived for, I’d call that a great life. Levi/Schwartz forever.”
Jonathan Chou added, “To me, living like Braun means taking each day and living it to the fullest while treating everyone you come across as if you have known them for years… Whether meeting a person for the first time or having known them for ages, living like Braun is meeting people where they are, treating them with the utmost respect and kindness, and living out all the adventures that come with it.”
Many of the guys remember first looking up to Braun not just for his tennis abilities, but for his humility and grace.
“I think since freshman year I was looking up to Braun,” wrote Justin Kong. “He was a smart kid in my Latin class who was already making friends with everyone. Later in the year, I found out that he was a UTR I didn’t think was possible for a freshman in high school. But most of all, he was nice to everyone and was humble. I really look up to him in every aspect of my life… Live Like Braun means a lot of things. To work hard, play hard. To treat others with respect and friendliness. To throw yourself in uncomfortable situations because you never know what you can gain from it.”
“Living Like Braun means taking a part of Braun’s 1:1 personality with me wherever I go,” said Connor Beerbower. “It means cracking jokes to lighten up a mood as he did in Mr. Farland’s room during a tough college admissions season. It means being inexplicably myself, just as Braun was everywhere he went, even in front of Bill Gates at Indian Wells.”
Others shared memories of Braun’s effortless kindness, how he could make someone feel at home in just a few minutes.
“Although I wasn’t close to Braun, I have one fond memory that’s stayed with me,” recalled Maxwell Ting. “On the first day of Freshman Orientation, I remember asking my senior big brother who I should talk to about tennis and how to join the team. Without hesitation, he brought me to Braun, who greeted me with a warm smile and genuine interest… I’m usually not much of a talker, but Braun had a way of making people open up with his kindness and natural charisma.”
Ting added, “To me, living like Braun means living with balance. It means to strive for excellence not just in one area, but in all parts of life… Braun was a true role model. In the same way, I want to become someone who others look up to, not just for talent, but for how they live their life.”
“Living like Braun means to be yourself,” wrote Prunier Herman. “To be loving and gracious to every person that you meet. Living like Braun is something I strive for. It means reaching for the very top while bringing your friends and enemies along with you. No matter who a person is, if you live like Braun that person will become your brother or sister. Braun was the ideal figure in everyone’s life.”
Even in their deepest grief, Braun’s teammates recognize the gift of having known him—and the responsibility of honoring that gift through their own lives. As Hinton said, “Mourning the loss with another team helped me understand that Braun was loved by his competitors. Everyone that knew Braun loved and cared for him. The tribute at the match felt like a way to honor how he loved and how people felt after being around and with him.”
To Live Like Braun is more than just a phrase, it’s a path forward. It’s a way of showing up in the world with kindness, confidence, curiosity, and heart. It’s how his teammates will remember him. And it’s how they’ll carry him with them, always.
Cooper Schwartz and Kiran Spurling win Southern Section Open Division playoff match with over 200 fans present. (Photo – Matthew Wholihan)
A Future that Will Always Remember
Braun was just weeks from graduating high school and eagerly counting down the days until college. His sister, Adelle, remembered how often he’d call, full of excitement. “It breaks my heart that UVA won’t get to experience his light,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times he called me and said, ‘Adelle, I’m so excited for college.’”
In a moving tribute, UVA’s men’s tennis team wore Braun’s name on their sleeves during the NCAA Tournament and dedicated their win to him as they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Though his time at UVA had barely begun, Braun left a strong impression. Head Coach Andres Pedroso recalled, “Braun was the opposite of entitled—humble, dedicated, and deeply passionate about tennis.” His gratitude for the chance to try out spoke volumes.
The news of his passing devastated the UVA community. Alumni and students reached out to share their heartbreak and admiration, certain he would have been “an incredible addition to our student body.” Braun reflected everything the university values: strong character, meaningful relationships, and a deep sense of community. Pedroso noted he had “established a tremendous head start at representing the character and appreciation for others” UVA holds dear.
His legacy now lives on through the program. Braun embodied the values UVA tennis strives to cultivate—passion, humility, and a commitment to uplifting others. As Pedroso said, “Braun’s life symbolizes all of these essential qualities that define our team culture, and his spirit will forever remain a guiding presence within UVA Men’s Tennis.”
Healing Together, Living Forward
“We need you guys to get us through this,” Dan Levi said at the Loyola celebration. “Don’t forget about us. This will be a long journey for us to recover.”
But as the ocean waves rolled in during the paddle-out, as tennis racquets were gripped tighter during matches, as laughter rang out among friends recalling his favorite jokes, it became clear that Braun Levi’s spirit is still here.
He taught us to laugh louder, hug longer, and live bigger. To be endlessly curious, unshakably kind, and always ready for fun. His light lives on in all who knew and loved him.
To Live Like Braun is not just to remember him. It is to become the best versions of ourselves, just as he made us feel we already were.
The Southern California community came together for a heartfelt paddle-out. (Photo: Bo Bridges)
A Global Tribute from the Tour
ATP World No. 119 Emilio Nava, a 23-year-old from West Hills, recently honored Braun on the international stage by wearing a sleeve patch dedicated to raising awareness about drunk driving.
On June 3, after his second-round match at Roland Garros, Nava introduced the “LIVE LIKE BRAUN” initiative to his fans and the tennis world.
“Tragedy hit on May 4th when a young man’s life was cut short by a drunk driver. Though I never had the privilege to meet Braun, his passing affected me deeply,” Nava wrote on Instagram. “The impact he had on his community, his classmates, fellow tennis players, and everyone whose path he crossed is hard to put into words. To live life with such passion, to bring a smile to everyone around him, and to make a positive impact on those he touched are qualities and virtues we should all aspire to.”
“Since Roland Garros, I’ve been wearing the LLB, Live Like Braun, patch in his honor and to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. Because the truth is it could have been me, you, any of us. I’ll continue to wear the patch for the rest of the season to keep his memory alive and to support this important cause.”
Nava also noted that the Live Like Braun Foundation will focus on advancing the values Braun stood for.
“The Live Like Braun Foundation was created to carry forward the values Braun embodied such as kindness, strength, and a deep commitment to others. I grew up not far from Braun, and tragedies like this should never happen.”
The Live Like Braun Foundation
Born from deep grief, the Live Like Braun Foundation is the Levi family’s promise to carry forward Braun’s radiant spirit, one rooted in kindness, courage, and unwavering joy. More than a tribute, the foundation promotes safe driving, mental wellness, and scholarships for young athletes who, like Braun, live with heart and integrity.
A variety of Live Like Braun merchandise and special collaborations are available, with all proceeds directly supporting the foundation’s mission. Discover the full collection at livelikebraunfoundation.org.
Rooted in love and community, the foundation calls on us all to live each day with greater heart, courage, and joy—because to Live Like Braun is to become the best version of ourselves. Supporting the foundation means carrying his light forward, together.
Live Like Braun Foundation merchandise hats for sale. (Photo – Lexie Wanninger)
