The cause of Brandon Clarke’s death has now been ruled an accidental overdose, according to a Friday report from the L.A. County Medical Examiner.
Melody Gutierrez of The Athletic reported that Clarke had cocaine and heroin in his system, and that the medical examiner also listed the “combined effects of multiple prescription medications” as a significant contributing condition.
“BREAKING: Brandon Clarke’s death ruled accidental overdose of cocaine, heroin,” Gutierrez wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The medical examiner also listed as a significant contributing condition the ‘combined effects of multiple prescription medications.'”
Clarke, a Memphis Grizzlies forward, died in May, and the news hit the basketball world hard. The Grizzlies said they were “heartbroken” in their statement after 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,” the team wrote at the time.
The medical findings come after Clarke had been charged in Arkansas six weeks before his death with “felony counts of trafficking of a controlled substance and fleeing law enforcement at speeds topping 100 mph.”
Gutierrez reported that deputies alleged Clarke had 235 grams of kratom in a duffel bag in his car when he was arrested on April 1. Kratom is described as a controversial plant-based substance that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though it is labeled a felony narcotic in Arkansas and legal in Tennessee, where Clarke had a home.
A full autopsy report will be released later.
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