Brandon Clarke to Be Honored by Grizzlies with Jersey Patch Following Death

The Memphis Grizzlies announced Saturday that they will honor late forward Brandon Clarke during their 2026-27 NBA regular-season home opener and throughout the upcoming campaign.

The Grizzlies said that they will have a pre-game tribute and moment of silence for Clarke prior to their opening night game against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 21, and they will also wear a "BC" patch on their jerseys for the entirety of the 2026-27 season:

Clarke, who played seven seasons for the Grizzlies from 2019 to 2026, died in May at the age of 29.

In August, the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office (h/t ESPN's Tom Schad) announced that Clarke died from an accidental drug overdose.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Clarke played collegiately at Gonzaga before getting selected 21st overall in the 2019 NBA draft.

Clarke spent his entire career in Memphis, starting 50 of the 309 regular season games he appeared in. He averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 60.5 percent from the field.

With averages of 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, Clarke finished fourth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, and he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Clarke was at his best during the Grizzlies' first-round playoff series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022, averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 block over the course of the six-game series.

Clarke was limited to six games in 2023-24 due to a torn Achilles and two games last season because of knee and calf ailments.

Clarke is the Grizzlies' all-time leader in career field-goal percentage, and he ranks 10th in team history with 246 blocks.