Brandon Clarke’s heartfelt message to schoolchildren goes viral as sports world mourns the ‘gentlest soul’

On his 29th birthday last September, Brandon Clarke didn't throw a party. He spent the day at a school. Clarke showed up at KIPP Collegiate Academy in North Memphis, donated books and resources to second-grade students, and let a roomful of seven-year-olds pile on top of him in a group hug. The Daily Memphian covered it at the time. Now, in the hours since his death on Monday at age 29, that story, and the message he left for those kids, has been ricocheting across social media.


"Every time I talk to kids, I try to get that in their minds that school is important, teachers are important and grades matter," Clarke told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that day. "I couldn't have made it here without locking in on reading, writing and all of that stuff."


This week, it became a eulogy.

'The gentlest soul'

The Memphis Grizzlies confirmed Clarke's death in a statement on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at a home in California's San Fernando Valley after emergency workers responded to a call for help. His cause of death has not been officially announced, though TMZ Sports reported it is being investigated as a possible overdose.


The tributes came fast and they came from everywhere. Priority Sports, Clarke's agency, called him "the gentlest soul who was first to be there for all of his friends and family," adding that "from high school to San Jose State to Gonzaga to the Grizzlies, Brandon impacted everyone who was part of his life." The Grizzlies themselves said he was "an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten," per CNN.


NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described Clarke as "a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit." And the National Basketball Players Association put it in terms that went beyond basketball: "This is an incredible loss for the brotherhood. We will remember Brandon not only for the immense joy he brought to so many throughout his career, but for the genuine friendships he built far beyond basketball."

The teammates who loved him

Some of the most raw tributes came from the people who shared a locker room with him. Ja Morant posted a photo of the two of them together and wrote simply: "love you broski. gone way too soon. it's bigger than basketball." Jaylen Wells, who played alongside Clarke this season, wrote on Instagram: "Everything he's went through in the time I've been in Memphis he still came in with a smile on his face and was a light in the locker room, truly an inspiring person." Kyle Anderson, who had two stints with the Grizzlies, was more blunt: "I love u so much brother. I'm so f***in hurt man."