NBA forward Brandon Clarke’s multi-million-dollar contract was fully protected for death, it has been revealed.
The 29-year-old was found unresponsive in a San Fernando Valley home on May 11, and according to the LA County investigators at the time, drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.
The Los Angeles County’s medical examiner confirmed earlier this month that Clarke died from an accidental overdose, specifically ‘the effects of heroin and cocaine.’
Clarke was set to earn $12.5 million in the upcoming NBA season – the final year of his four-year, $50 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Despite initial reports suggesting that the Grizzlies were set to void the final year of Clarke’s salary, it has now emerged that his estate will, in fact, benefit from the late hoops star’s wages.
The full $12.5m is expected to be paid out to Clarke’s grieving family through life insurance, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.
Memphis Grizzlies star Brandon Clarke died at the age of 29 in May of this year
The deal was reportedly negotiated for Memphis to reimburse for life insurance to protect against the possibility of death, which is a customary approach to player contracts across the NBA.
Priority Sports, the agency that represented Clarke in his NBA career, confirmed the news in a statement to O’Connor.
‘Brandon’s contract was fully protected for a God-forbid occurrence,’ Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein said.
‘So Brandon’s family and his estate are fully protected in Brandon’s contract….The support that the entire Grizzlies organization has shown to Brandon’s family during this devastating time has been beyond words.’
A Vancouver native who starred at Gonzaga before being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019, Clarke had been on a downward trend before his passing. Most notably, he was arrested in Arkansas for allegedly passing multiple vehicles at over 100mph in a no-passing zone.
Footage of the arrest surfaced last month, showing the moment authorities found kratom in Clarke’s vehicle. Known otherwise as ‘gas station heroin,’ Kratom is illegal in Arkansas, although Clarke can be heard insisting the drug is legal in the police footage.
‘It’s just kratom, it is legal,’ he told the officer in the clip.
Officers are also seen inspecting other substances packaged with names such as ‘gold rhino.’
Clarke poses for a picture with his mother, Whitney Triplett, his step father and his half siblings
Police in Arkansas found kratom, otherwise known as ‘gas station heroin,’ on Clarke during his arrest weeks before his death
Six weeks after that footage was recorded, Clarke was found dead in the San Fernando Valley.
The American Food and Drug Administration strongly recommends against using kratom and even warns it can cause ‘liver toxicity, seizures, substance use disorder’ and ‘in rare cases, deaths have been associated with kratom use… in combination with other drugs.’
The Mayo Clinic adds that ‘people who take kratom believe that it helps them. But kratom hasn’t been shown to be safe or to treat any medical conditions.’
He died just four months before his 30th birthday on September 19.
‘We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,’ the Grizzlies said at the time of his death.
‘Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.’
