Brandon Clarke Dies at 29 After 7 Seasons With the Grizzlies
Updated
Updated · Commercial Appeal · May 12
Brandon Clarke Dies at 29 After 7 Seasons With the Grizzlies
28 articles · Updated · Commercial Appeal · May 12
Priority Sports announced May 12 that Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died at 29; the team called it a tragic loss.
Seven NBA seasons all came with Memphis after Clarke was taken No. 21 in the 2019 draft, making him, alongside Ja Morant, the franchise's longest-tenured player.
Two games were all he played in 2025-26 after returning from a knee injury, before a December calf injury ended the rest of his season.
In 2025, Clarke launched the Brandon Clarke Foundation in Memphis, backing literacy nonprofit ARise2Read and hosting holiday events for local families.
His death comes weeks after an April 1 arrest in Arkansas on drug-trafficking, possession and fleeing charges, from which he was released on bond the next day.
From NBA All-Rookie to a police chase and sudden death: What happened to Brandon Clarke?
A career-ending injury, a controversial herb, and an unexplained death. Are these events connected?