{"id":792593,"date":"2026-05-13T04:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T04:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/792593\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T04:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T04:09:19","slug":"memphis-grizzlies-forward-brandon-clarke-dies-at-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/792593\/","title":{"rendered":"Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dies at 29"},"content":{"rendered":"

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke<\/a> has died, the NBA team and his agents announced Tuesday, and a person familiar with the terms of the ongoing investigation said an autopsy was planned to determine the exact cause.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old Clarke was found dead Monday at a home in the Los Angeles area and emergency personnel who responded to the scene found drug paraphernalia in the home, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not released publicly. <\/p>\n

Neither the Grizzlies<\/a> nor Clarke\u2019s agency, Priority Sports<\/a>, provided any details about the cause of Clarke\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke. Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten,\u201d read a statement from the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

His agents wrote on social media that they were \u201cbeyond devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so loved by all of us here and everyone whose life he touched,\u201d read the statement from Priority Sports. \u201cHe was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed sympathies to Clarke\u2019s family and friends and the Grizzlies organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are devastated to learn of the passing of Brandon Clarke,\u201d Silver said. \u201cAs one of the longest-tenured members of the Grizzlies, Brandon was a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Memphis<\/p>\n

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (15) shoots against Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Dec. 20, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo\/Brandon Dill)<\/p>\n

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (15) shoots against Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Dec. 20, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo\/Brandon Dill)<\/p>\n

Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n

Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n

Share<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Clarke was the 21st overall pick out of Gonzaga in the 2019 NBA draft by Oklahoma City, which dealt his rights to the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

He was fourth in the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year balloting \u2014 his Grizzlies\u2019 teammate Ja Morant was the overwhelming winner of that award \u2014 and also was 11th in the NBA\u2019s Sixth Man of the Year voting for the 2021-22 season.<\/p>\n

Clarke averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 309 career NBA games.<\/p>\n

He averaged 16.9 points in his one season at Gonzaga, transferring there after starting his college career at San Jose State. At Gonzaga, he was a huge part of a team that also had Rui Hachimura \u2014 now with the Los Angeles Lakers \u2014 and went 33-4.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had such a kind, gentle and warm soul, and I will remember the great smile he had on his face whenever you were around him,\u201d read a statement from Gonzaga and its coach, Mark Few. \u201cBC was one of the most easygoing players we have ever had, and he was part of one of the greatest teams in our program\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarke was arrested April 1 in Arkansas<\/a> for speeding and possession of a controlled substance that was reportedly kratom, an herbal supplement<\/a> promoted as an alternative pain remedy that becomes illegal in Tennessee as of July 1. He was released on bond a day later.<\/p>\n

Health officials have been warning about the risks of an opioid-related chemical known as 7-hydroxymitragynine<\/a> and a component of kratom<\/a>. The plant native to Southeast Asia has gained popularity in the U.S. as an unapproved treatment<\/a> for pain, anxiety and drug dependence.<\/p>\n

A federal report in 2019 found overdose deaths involving the herbal supplement kratom were more common than previously reported. Most who died had also taken heroin, fentanyl or others, though officials counted a few instances in which kratom was the only substance listed.<\/p>\n

\u201clove you broski. gone way too soon,\u201d Morant wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Clarke joined Morant on the NBA\u2019s All-Rookie<\/a> team in 2020, and the Grizzlies gave him a multiyear contract extension<\/a> in October 2022.<\/p>\n

But injuries dogged him for more than three years. He tore his left Achilles tendon on March 3, 2023, in a loss to the Denver Nuggets in a showdown of what were then the top two teams in the Western Conference. Injuries limited him to 72 of a possible 246 games over the past three seasons, including only two this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an incredible loss for the brotherhood,\u201d the National Basketball Players Association said. \u201cWe will remember Brandon not only for the immense joy he brought to so many throughout his career, but for the genuine friendships he built far beyond basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarke was under contract for the 2026-27 season with Memphis, which went 25-57 this season. The San Antonio Spurs paid tribute to Clarke with a moment of silence \u2014 both for him and former NBA player Jason Collins<\/a>, whose death was announced Tuesday \u2014 before a playoff game Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Clarke\u2019s \u201cleadership and passion earned him respect throughout the Memphis community and around the league,\u201d the Spurs said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writers Teresa M. Walker and Anne M. Peterson contributed to this report<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/NBA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died, the NBA team and his agents announced Tuesday, and a person…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":792594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[8952,5027,52410,276,119335,323544,3135,1260,6326,25927,62,286019,1229,6066,67,132,68,2057,2058],"class_list":{"0":"post-792593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-adam-silver","9":"tag-arkansas","10":"tag-brandon-clarke","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-jason-collins","13":"tag-mark-few","14":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-nba-basketball","17":"tag-rui-hachimura","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-temetrius-morant","20":"tag-tennessee","21":"tag-tn-state-wire","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-wa-state-wire","26":"tag-washington"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116565310234908010","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}