Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke died last week on May 11 at the age of 29.
The NBA team and Clarke’s agency separately announced the next day that he had passed.
Tributes poured in from across the league remembering the former Gonzaga star as a passionate player and caring member of the community. Ja Morant mourned his teammate, saying he was “gone way too soon.”
The day that the news broke, reports came out that Clarke’s death was being investigated as a possible overdose. NBC 4 Los Angeles said that the Los Angeles Fire Department received a 911 call on May 11 for a medical emergency in the San Fernando Valley. When responders arrived on the scene, they found Clarke dead, according to the report. There was evidence of drug usage and an investigation began.
At the time of publication, Clarke’s cause of death has been deferred and his body has been released, per the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The case remains open.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs puts up a shot against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center on November 15, 2018 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeated Texas A&M 94-71.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs goes to the basket against Darrin Person #25 and Greg Lee #21 of the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center on December 31, 2018 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeated CSU Bakersfield 89-54.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs goes up for a shot against Kaleb Bishop #12 of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights during the first half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball against the Baylor Bears during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke speaks to the media ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft at the Grand Hyatt New York on June 19, 2019 in New York City.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke reacts after being drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies brings the ball up the court against the New Orleans Pelicans during a semifinal game of the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Grizzlies defeated the Pelicans 88-86 in overtime.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Summer League co-founder Albert Hall (L) presents Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies with the 2019 NBA Las Vegas Summer League MVP trophy before the championship game of the 2019 NBA Summer League between the Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots against Canyon Barry #24 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the championship game of the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Grizzlies defeated the Timberwolves 95-92.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 11, 2019 at the Ferguson Recreation Center in Madison, New Jersey.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers has the ball knocked out of his hands by Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of the basketball game at Staples Center on October 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball against Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals at Chase Center on May 13, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket against Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 9, 2022 in Los Angeles.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies poses for a photo during Memphis Grizzlies Media Day at FedExForum on October 2, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half at FedExForum on November 6, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at FedExForum on December 19, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies poses for a photo during media day at FedExForum on September 30, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Memphis Grizzlies guard Brandon Clarke (15) drives to the basket while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Charles Bassey (28) during the first half at Frost Bank Center on Jan. 15, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (15) walks to the locker room before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on March 19, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke (15) walks onto the court for open practice at the FedExForum on October 4, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn.
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke dies at 29. His career in photos
Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke (15) and Grizz talk on the bench during open practice at the FedExForum on October 4, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn.
A month prior to his passing, Clarke was arrested in Arkansas and handed multiple charges, including trafficking a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
Clarke spent all seven seasons of his NBA career with the Grizzlies and averaged 10.2 points per game. He was the 2019 Summer League MVP and was selected in the first round of that year’s draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 21 overall pick. He was traded to the Grizzlies that day.
The Vancouver, Canada native spent his final college season with Gonzaga. He had a school-record 36 points in an NCAA Tournament game en route to an Elite Eight appearance with the Bulldogs that season.
Where did Brandon Clarke go to college?
Clarke played his first two seasons of college ball at San Jose State. He was named Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year during his freshman season (2015-16), and was All-Mountain West first team during his sophomore year. He also was named to the all-defensive team in that sophomore campaign.
Clarke then transferred to Gonzaga, where he redshirted during the 2017-18 season. His junior year he was named West Coast Conference Newcomer of the year after playing in 37 games and averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.2 blocks.
Brandon Clarke draft
Clarke was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 21 pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. The Thunder promptly traded Clarke to the Memphis Grizzlies for Darius Bazley and a future second-round draft pick.
Brandon Clarke’s NBA career
Clarke spent all seven seasons of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he averaged 10.2 points per game. This season, he suffered a calf injury in December that sidelined him for the rest of the Grizzlies’ campaign.
Brandon Clarke stats
Brandon Clarke played his entire seven-year career with the Memphis Grizzlies, finishing fourth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting after the 2019-20 season. Here are his general stats for all seven seasons:
2025-26: 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 steals in 2 games (2 starts)
2024-25: 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks in 64 games (18 starts)
2023-24: 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.0 blocks in 6 games (1 start)
2022-23: 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks in 56 games (8 starts)
2021-22: 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.1 blocks in 64 games (1 start)
2020-21: 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.9 blocks in 59 games (16 starts)
2019-20: 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 blocks in 58 games (4 starts)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Clarke cause of death: Latest on how Grizzlies player died
