What to Know About Late NBA Player Brandon Clarke's Family
What to Know About Late NBA Player Brandon Clarke's Family
Christopher RudolphWed, May 13, 2026 at 2:18 PM UTC
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Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies on February 11, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona; Brandon Clarke and his mother in May 2018.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty; Brandon Clarke/Instagram
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Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke died at age 29
The athlete is survived by his mom, stepdad, father and siblings
Brandon was born in Canada, but moved to the U.S. when he was a child
Brandon Clarke has died at age 29, leaving behind a loving and supportive family.
“We are beyond devastated by the passing of Brandon Clarke,” Priority Sports, the agency for the Memphis Grizzlies basketball player, said in a statement.
"He was so loved by all of us here, and everyone whose life he touched. He was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family," the statement continued. "Our hearts are so broken as we think about his mom, Whitney, his entire family, and all of his friends and teammates.”
The NBA player is survived by his dad, mom, stepfather and siblings.
Here's everything to know about the family of the late Memphis Grizzlies player Brandon Clarke.
His dad was born in Jamaica and his mom is Canadian
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies during media day on September 30, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Credit: Justin Ford/Getty
Brandon's dad, Steve Clarke, was born in Jamaica and lived there for the first 10 years of his life before his family moved to Toronto, according to Andscape.
Meanwhile, Whitney Triplett, Brandon's mom, is Canadian. Brandon was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. "When he was born, he had a basketball in his hand," Steve told the outlet in January 2020.
The family moved to the U.S. when Brandon was a child, first to Phoenix before settling in California, per the NBA's website.
"Canada didn't have the opportunities for him that the U.S. offered. I knew what I had to do and I followed my heart," Whitney told the Daily Memphianin May 2022.
Whitney has remained in the U.S., but as of 2020, Steve was living in Norway, according to Andscape.
They divorced and Whitney has since remarried
Brandon Clarke and his parents in May 2019.
Credit: Brandon Clarke/Instagram
After Steve and Whitney split, Whitney remarried Brandon's stepdad, Bryan Triplett.
Brandon appeared to be close with Whitney and Bryan, posting pictures of them on his Instagram. "Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing person in my life!!! Love you more and more everyday ❤️," he captioned a sweet carousel of images of him and Whitney in May 2018.
In a May 2019 Instagram post, Brandon celebrated graduating from Gonzaga University, sharing a photo of him with Whitney and Bryan at his graduation.
"Beyond blessed for the people that have sacrificed for me to get here," he wrote in the caption, noting that his degree was in "Business Administration with concentration in entrepreneurship."
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Whitney is a nurse
Brandon Clarke and his mother in May 2018.
Credit: Brandon Clarke/Instagram
Whitney is a registered nurse. "I've been a nurse for 33 years and I have to trade shifts and take off work to come see him play," she told the Daily Memphian.
She has also been a longtime fan of the Grizzlies, as the team used to be based in Vancouver — which came full circle when Brandon played for the team.
According to the NBA's website, Whitney received promotional tickets to Grizzlies games back during their first season in 1995.
"When Brandon was drafted and we found out he was going to the Grizzlies, we were going crazy, quite naturally," she recalled to Grind City Media, per the NBA's website. "He was 2 ½ years old when we left Vancouver and moved to the States. So, this is very special to us. It's quite magical, actually."
He had two siblings
Brandon Clarke and his sister Taylor in June 2024.
Credit: Brandon Clarke/Instagram
Brandon has an older sister, Taylor Triplett.
Taylor got married in 2024. Brandon attended the wedding, posting a congratulations to her on his Instagram.
"My big sis got married !!! Congrats to her and my new brother, David. Was an amazing time for everyone 🇲🇽," he captioned a photo of him and Taylor, tagging Mexico City as the location.
According to her Instagram, Taylor is the founder of a puzzle company, Pezel Puzzles.
"I've been an avid puzzler my entire life and there's nothing I hate more than a boring jigsaw puzzle!" she wrote on the company website. "After years of struggling to find designs that were able to capture my attention for every piece, I decided I would just have to make them myself."
In addition to Taylor, Brandon also had one other sibling, per the Daily Memphian.
Whitney and Bryan were supporters of Brandon's basketball career
Brandon Clarke #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies on December 03, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
Credit: Sam Hodde/Getty
Whitney and Bryan always supported Brandon and his basketball career.
"He's just such a fun player to watch. If he wasn't my son, I'd be the hugest fan. I really would. He's just such a great, gifted, humble basketball player,” Bryan told KREM in March 2019. "I said to Brandon, 'Whenever you fly I smile.' I just know something amazing is going to happen, even though I get a little nervous sometimes with his fearlessness with jumping."
"It's like every game there is some spectacular moment where it's like, 'He did not just do that. Wow,' " Bryan added. "The kid is amazing. He's absolutely an incredible all-around basketball player."
In her interview with the Daily Memphian, Whitney said, "I don't think my husband has missed watching a game — either in person or on TV — in Brandon's whole life."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
