The L.A. County Medical Examiner has ruled Brandon Clarke’s death an accidental overdose, according to a report published Friday.
Melody Gutierrez of The Athletic reported that cocaine and heroin were found in Clarke’s system, and that the medical examiner also cited a “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 hard across the NBA and beyond. The Grizzlies said at the time they were “heartbroken” by 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.
The report comes 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 also reported that deputies alleged Clarke had 235 grams of kratom in a duffel bag in his car when he was arrested April 1. Kratom is described in the story as a controversial plant-based substance that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and while it is labeled a felony narcotic in Arkansas, it is legal in Tennessee, where Clarke had a home.
A full autopsy report will be released later.
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