\n<\/p>\n
One of the most impactful bench players in the NBA, Clarke played 309 games and seven seasons for Memphis, helping the Grizzlies reach the playoffs four times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,\u201d the Grizzlies said in a statement. \u201cBrandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten. We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Tuesday afternoon, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson was one of several former and current Memphis players who paid tribute to Clarke.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a really good person, a really good teammate, obviously someone who was really good on the court. Just someone I could instantly see, and we would start laughing and start sharing jokes. He was Memphis\u2019 own, for sure. He did his part in the community,\u201d Anderson told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s just crazy. It really don\u2019t make no sense. I was on the phone with him two weeks ago on FaceTime. It\u2019s really still raw.\u201d<\/p>\n Before their game against the Wolves on Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs held a moment of silence\u00a0for Clarke and former NBA center Jason Collins<\/a>, who died at 47 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an emergency call and reported to a residence in the 20300 block of Del Campo Place in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, a little after 5 p.m. Monday. Clarke was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a spokesman. The four-bedroom house was last listed for rent in March at $15,500 a month.<\/p>\n Clarke was scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing at 9 a.m. Friday at the St. Francis County District Court in Forrest City, Ark., to face felony drug and traffic charges stemming from an April 1 arrest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Clarke was charged with felony counts of trafficking of a controlled substance and fleeing law enforcement at high speeds, and misdemeanor counts of drug possession and traffic violations. He was released on a $25,000 bond the next day.<\/p>\n Clarke, who was born in Vancouver, Canada, and raised in Phoenix, spent the first two years of his college career at San Jose State before transferring to Gonzaga. Clarke\u2019s standout junior season in Spokane, Wash. \u2014 when he was named a third-team All-American and helped the Bulldogs reach the Elite Eight \u2014 solidified his status as a first-round 2019 NBA Draft pick.<\/p>\n Mark Few, Clarke\u2019s coach at Gonzaga, said the forward had a \u201creally screwed up looking shot\u201d when Clarke arrived on campus in the fall of 2017. He redshirted that season and worked diligently with a Zags assistant, and \u201cchanged his whole shot.\u201d<\/p>\n The following season, Clarke led all NCAA Division I basketball players with a 68.7 field-goal percentage and topped the nation with 117 blocks. Clarke and Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura led one of the greatest Bulldogs teams in school history to a 33-4 record and a No. 1 seed in the tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the most low-maintenance dude,\u201d Few told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cHe was just so easy to coach. Every time you\u2019d see him walking around the facility, he had a smile on his face. Just a warm, kind spirit and a heck of a player. Our team that year could\u2019ve won the national championship. He was fun to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n Few said Clarke was so relaxed and easygoing that he was \u201coblivious\u201d when the NBA came calling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to tell him, \u2018Yeah, you\u2019re going to have to leave \u2014 you\u2019re going to be a lottery pick,\u2019\u2009\u201d Few said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many people you could put on a Mount Rushmore of Gonzaga players, but I would put him up there for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarke was the 21st selection in 2019; the Grizzlies acquired his rights in a draft-night deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n He quickly made an impact in Memphis. The energy and athleticism he brought in a reserve role contributed to him finishing fourth in the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year race.<\/p>\n In his third season, Clarke averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.5 minutes for a Grizzlies team that finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, which was tied for the most wins by a Memphis team in franchise history. The Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the 2022 playoffs, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors. Later that fall, the Grizzlies awarded Clarke a four-year, $50 million contract extension.<\/p>\n Over the past three seasons, injuries slowed Clarke considerably. He suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in March 2023 and then a right knee injury this March. He played in 72 games in three seasons.<\/p>\n Clarke had one year remaining on his contract with Memphis, where he had established himself as a beloved teammate. Niele Ivey, a former Grizzlies assistant coach who is now the head coach of Notre Dame\u2019s women\u2019s basketball team, told The Athletic<\/em> that she was \u201cheartbroken\u201d to hear of Clarke\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was an incredible player, but an even better person,\u201d she said. \u201cI have nothing but great memories of his positive energy, enthusiasm and the way he uplifted everyone around him \u2014 teammates and coaches alike. He was the definition of a great teammate and truly a pleasure to coach. Brandon made a lasting impact on so many people, and he will be deeply missed.\u201d<\/p>\n Brad Jones, a former Grizzlies assistant who coached Clarke for most of his NBA career, called Clarke the \u201cunsung hero\u201d of Memphis\u2019 2022 first-round playoff series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was the first time in seven years the Grizzlies won a playoff series.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was low key, cool, always had the good look \u2014 like he would dress nice but not overly nice,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIn the locker room, everybody loved him. On the plane, everyone wanted to be around him. He was just \u2018easygoing B.C.\u2019 In all my years with him, I never heard one person say anything cross about him.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarke averaged 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds during Memphis\u2019 2022 postseason run. He had a 17-point, 11-rebound performance in the Grizzlies\u2019 closeout win over the Timberwolves in Game 6 in the first round.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was driven to be good,\u201d Jones said. \u201cHe had decent stats, but for him, it wasn\u2019t about stats. Ja Morant loved him \u2014 he was such a good screener and could jump out of the building. Ja threw him lob after lob. We couldn\u2019t ask any more of him.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonia Raman, a former Grizzlies assistant and now head coach of the Seattle Storm, told The Athletic<\/em> that Clarke\u2019s death doesn\u2019t seem real. He was one of the players she stayed in touch with after she left Memphis.<\/p>\n \u201cBrandon was so special to all of us, and I\u2019m really going to miss him,\u201d Raman, who coached Clarke from 2021 to 2024, said in a text message. \u201cHe brought so much joy to our group every day. I always admired his work ethic and the lasting bonds he formed with everyone around him. He was the ultimate teammate and competitor who meant so much to the whole Memphis community.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m lucky I got to coach him and get to know him. And talk Harry Potter coffee shops and cars and injury rehab and family and everything in between over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n NBA commissioner Adam Silver was also devastated to learn of Clarke\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \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 Silver said in a statement. \u201cOur thoughts are with Brandon\u2019s family, friends and the Grizzlies organization.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Mirin Fader, Jon Krawczynski and Mark Puleo contributed to this story.<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was found dead at a home in Los Angeles on Monday. He was 29. The cause is being investigated, according to the L.A. County medical examiner. One of the most impactful bench players in the NBA, Clarke played 309 games and seven seasons for Memphis, helping the Grizzlies reach the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brandon-Clarke-beloved-Grizzlies-teammate-dies-at-29-\u2018A-warm.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30905,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30903\/revisions\/30905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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