Brandon Clarke. Image via: Christian Petersen/ Getty Images
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office ruled Friday that the 29-year-old died from the combined effects of heroin and cocaine, an accidental overdose that closes a question that has hung over the NBA since May. The case was still open at the time of his death, with an arraignment that had been scheduled for May 15, four days after he died. Brandon Clarke’s cause of death is finally confirmed, nearly three months after the former Memphis Grizzlies forward was found dead at his California home.
The office said only that “the Medical Examiner report will be available at a future date,” leaving some specifics unresolved even as the cause is now official. The Grizzlies called him “an outstanding teammate and an even better person” in a statement issued the next day. His agency, Priority Sports, added that Clarke “was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all his friends,” extending condolences to his mother, Whitney, and the rest of his family. Clarke told officers the pills were “just kratom,” a substance legal in many states but banned in Arkansas, according to the police report.
The full report is still pending. The news devastated the organization he spent his entire career with. Ja Morant posted his own tribute on Instagram: “This hurt BC. Love you broski. Gone way too soon. It’s bigger than basketball.