Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke 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.

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.

Neither the Grizzlies nor Clarke’s agency provided any details about the cause of Clarke’s death.

“We 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,” read a statement from the Grizzlies.

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

He was fourth in the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year balloting — his Grizzlies’ teammate Ja Morant was the overwhelming winner of that award — and also was 11th in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting for the 2021-22 season.

Clarke joined Morant on the NBA’s All-Rookie team in 2020, and the Grizzlies gave him a multiyear contract extension in October 2022.

But injuries dogged him for more than three years, and limited him to 72 of a possible 246 games over the past three seasons, including only two this season.

Clarke averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 309 career NBA games.

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

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


(AP Photo Brandon Dill)