Brandon Clarke’s Grizzlies teammates flooded social media on Tuesday after learning of the 29-year-old’s death.
The news sent shockwaves through the NBA, particularly in Memphis, where Clarke was widely viewed as one of the team’s most respected locker room presences.
“Everything he’s went through in the time I’ve been in Memphis he still came in with a smile on his face and was a light in the locker room, truly an inspiring person,” said Jaylen Wells, who has spent the last two seasons in Memphis, wrote on his Instagram Story.
“Memphis won’t be the same without you.”
Clarke was a key contributor for the Grizzlies for the first few seasons of his career before injuries derailed him, starting with a torn left Achilles in March 2023.
He would play just six games during the 2023-24 season and 64 games the following year before sustaining a high-grade PCL injury in his right knee.
Clarke then missed the start of the 2025-26 season and returned for two games in December before a right calf injury sidelined him once again.
“One of my favorite teammates and people ever. Fly high king,” Lamar Stevens, who spent two seasons from 2023-25 in Memphis, wrote on his Story.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who was part of the same 2019 draft class as Clarke, also spoke out on Instagram.
“This hurt BC,” he wrote. “Love you broski. gone way too soon.”
Kyle Anderson, who was Clarke’s teammate in two stints with the Grizzlies, wrote that he was “so f—in hurt” by his passing. “I love u so much brother i wish i coulda been there for u im so f—in hurt man,” he added.
Clarke’s death is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.
On April 1, Clarke was arrested in Arkansas on charges of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing in a vehicle exceeding the speed limit and improper passing.
