Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died, his agency announced on Tuesday, May 12. He was 29.

The native of Vancouver, Canada played three years of college basketball, including one season at Gonzaga, and he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies for all seven seasons of his NBA career.

Clarke made an impact in his community and, after the news of his passing circulated, he was remembered around the internet with high praise.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Clarke was, "a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit."

Brandon Clarke spent all seven seasons of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies. He was drafted in 2019 as the No. 21 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder and was traded to the Grizzlies on the same day.

He averaged 10.2 points per game and was mostly a bench player. He participated in all 64 games of the 2021-2022 and 2024-2025 seasons. He was part of the All-Rookie team and was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2019-2020 when he averaged 12.1 points per outing in 58 games and four starts.

His last season, the 2025-2026 campaign, was marred by a calf injury he suffered in December.

The Grizzlies made the playoffs four times while Clarke was a member of the team.

In 2025, Brandon Clarke launched the Brandon Clarke Foundation, aiming to help families struck by tragedies, moms and others throughout Memphis. The foundation has since donated to ARise2Read, a non-profit organization focused on helping kids enhance their literacy skills outside the classroom. Clarke also hosted a holiday celebration at the Buckman Boys & Girls Club, where the foundation families were provided with food, gifts and games, and Clarke also made a donation. — Damichael Cole, Memphis Commercial Appeal

A month before his passing, Brandon Clarke was arrested in Arkansas after being pulled over by police. He was charged with multiple offenses, including fleeing/exceeding the speed limit, trafficking a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance.

Brandon Clarke spent two seasons at San Jose State before he transferred to Gonzaga. He spent the 2019 season with the Bulldogs, who also had current Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, and they went to the Elite Eight. Clarke had 36 points in the second round game against Baylor, which was a school record for an NCAA Tournament game.

Brandon Clarke was among the many basketball players who had an interest in music. He released a handful of songs under the name BCVS, rapping over a variety of beats from trap to ethereal. The bio for his music Instagram page said, "Multiple albums otw" and he said in multiple posts that making music was "therapeutic" for him.

In an Instagram post for the song "all white gold," which released in July, Clarke thanked fans for their support of his artistic endeavor.

"Appreciate the love y'all been giving me, made this drop real fun," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who was Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies player who died at 29