NBA forward Brandon Clarke, formerly of San Jose State, dies at 29
Memphis Grizzlies power forward Brandon Clarke, a former star at San Jose State, has died at the age of 29.
The Grizzlies and Clarke’s agency, Priority Sports, announced the news on Tuesday but gave no cause of death.
NBC Los Angeles reported that he died Monday in the San Fernando Valley, and officials are investigating his death as a possible overdose after finding drug paraphernalia in the home. Fire and police officials have made no public statements about Clarke’s death.
Clarke spent the first two years of his college career with the Spartans under coach Dave Wojcik and was named the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman, earning all-conference honors in his second season in San Jose.
“Brandon was such a wonderful person,” Wojcik, now the head coach at the University of the Incarnate Word, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “He had such a positive energy about himself all the time.
“He was a great kid to recruit, and a great kid to coach. It’s just very sad. And my heart breaks for his parents. I can’t even imagine.”
The Grizzlies said, “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke. Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.”
“He was the gentlest soul who was first to be there for all of his friends and family,” Priority Sports said in a statement. “Our hearts are so broken as we think about his mom, Whitney, his entire family, and all of his friends and teammates. From high school to San Jose State to Gonzaga to the Grizzlies, Brandon impacted everyone who was part of his life.”
Clarke arrived at San Jose State in 2015 after graduating from Desert Vista High School in suburban Phoenix. Wojcik said the Spartans were Clarke’s lone scholarship offer.
“People always ask what I saw in him, and I told my staff, he doesn’t do anything great, he just does everything very, very well,” Wojcik said. “He really worked, developed his jump shot, and the rest is history.”
Clarke led the Spartans with 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore, making 59.2% of his shots. He was the first player associated with the SJSU basketball program selected in the NBA draft since the Kings took Tariq Abdul-Wahad in the first round in 1997.
“Our condolences to the Clarke family,” San Jose State said in a statement. “We are saddened by the news and his impact at SJSU will never be forgotten.”
After Wojcik resigned as the Spartans’ head coach in July 2017, Clarke transferred to Gonzaga, where he redshirted the 2017-18 season and starred the following season, leading the West Coast Conference with 3.3 blocks per game and being named to the all-WCC team. He was also a third-team All-American in his lone year playing in Spokane.
He was drafted No. 21 overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who immediately traded him to Memphis.
Clarke grew to become a key member of the Grizzlies’ rotation by 2022, when they faced the Warriors in a second-round series.
He signed a four-year extension with the Grizzlies that offseason, but a series of leg injuries — including a torn Achilles and a serious knee sprain — harmed his career progress. He played only six games in 2023-24, 64 in 2024-25 and just two games last season.
Clarke was born in Vancouver, Canada native but played in high school at Phoenix’s Desert Vista High before coming to San Jose State as a freshman in 2015.
Clarke was arrested last month on drug and traffic charges in Arkansas.
"We are devastated to learn of the passing of Brandon Clarke," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Tuesday. "As 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. Our thoughts are with Brandon's family, friends and the Grizzlies organization."
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 1:22 PM.