Ja Morant was heartbroken to hear the news of the death of his Memphis Grizzlies teammate Brandon Clarke. The two-time All-Star paid tribute to the forward on social media after the news of Clarke’s passing broke.
Morant shared a series of posts to his Instagram stories on Tuesday, May 12 expressing his appreciation for Clarke, who spent all seven seasons of his NBA career in Memphis with Morant.
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The first post was a media day photo of Morant laughing while reaching out for a high-five from Clarke with Jaren Jackson Jr. also grinning widely on Morant’s other side.
The second picture showed Clarke hugging Morant from behind during a game.
“this hurt BC,” Morant said with a broken heart emoji, “love you broski. gone way too soon.” He added, “its’ bigger than basketball.”
The third Instagram story reshared a post from Devin Walker, the Grizzlies’ social/digital coordinator, paying tribute to Clarke. Morant specifically shared a video of himself walking off the court after the 2019 Summer League championship with Clarke, holding a trophy. Clarke was the game’s MVP after notching a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 95-92 to win the championship.
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“I’m walking with a GOAT right here,” Morant said in the video.
“still our goat,” he added in the Instagram story caption with a goat emoji. “BC15”
Both players were selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant was taken No. 2 overall by the Grizzlies and Clarke was chosen at No. 21 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who traded him to Memphis the same day.
Other reactions to Clarke’s death have poured in from across the NBA, including from commissioner Adam Silver and the Golden State Warriors.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ja Morant mourns Memphis Grizzlies teammate Brandon Clarke
