Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dies at 29

Brandon Clarke, a forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, has died at 29, the team and his agency, Priority Sports, announced Tuesday. No cause of death was announced in the public reporting reviewed, including ESPN’s report on the announcements.

Clarke spent his entire NBA career with Memphis after entering the league in 2019. The Grizzlies acquired his draft rights that year and he went on to become a fixture of the team’s frontcourt over seven seasons.

He was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the 2019-20 season. Before turning pro, Clarke played college basketball at San José State and then Gonzaga, where he emerged as one of the top frontcourt players in the country.

Clarke played seven NBA seasons, all with the Grizzlies, giving Memphis continuity through much of its recent era. Early in his career, he earned recognition as one of the league’s top rookies and developed into a regular part of the team’s rotation.

He had been limited by injuries in recent seasons. ESPN reported that Clarke appeared in only two games in 2025-26 because of a knee injury, and NBA.com’s team news page said Memphis announced March 25 that he would miss the rest of the season.

Clarke was born Sept. 19, 1996, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His death is major news across the NBA because he was still an active player on an NBA roster with the franchise that drafted and developed him.