Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was found dead at a home in Los Angeles on Monday. He was 29. The cause is being investigated, according to the L.A. County medical examiner.

One of the most impactful bench players in the NBA, Clarke played 309 games and seven seasons for Memphis, helping the Grizzlies reach the playoffs four times.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten. We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson was one of several former and current Memphis players who paid tribute to Clarke.

“Just a really good person, a really good teammate, obviously someone who was really good on the court. Just someone I could instantly see, and we would start laughing and start sharing jokes. He was Memphis’ own, for sure. He did his part in the community,” Anderson told The Athletic. “It’s just crazy. It really don’t make no sense. I was on the phone with him two weeks ago on FaceTime. It’s really still raw.”

Before their game against the Wolves on Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs held a moment of silence for Clarke and former NBA center Jason Collins, who died at 47 on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an emergency call and reported to a residence in the 20300 block of Del Campo Place in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, a little after 5 p.m. Monday. Clarke was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a spokesman. The four-bedroom house was last listed for rent in March at $15,500 a month.

Clarke was scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing at 9 a.m. Friday at the St. Francis County District Court in Forrest City, Ark., to face felony drug and traffic charges stemming from an April 1 arrest.

Clarke was charged with felony counts of trafficking of a controlled substance and fleeing law enforcement at high speeds, and misdemeanor counts of drug possession and traffic violations. He was released on a $25,000 bond the next day.

Clarke, who was born in Vancouver, Canada, and raised in Phoenix, spent the first two years of his college career at San Jose State before transferring to Gonzaga. Clarke’s standout junior season in Spokane, Wash. — when he was named a third-team All-American and helped the Bulldogs reach the Elite Eight — solidified his status as a first-round 2019 NBA Draft pick.

Mark Few, Clarke’s coach at Gonzaga, said the forward had a “really screwed up looking shot” when Clarke arrived on campus in the fall of 2017. He redshirted that season and worked diligently with a Zags assistant, and “changed his whole shot.”

The following season, Clarke led all NCAA Division I basketball players with a 68.7 field-goal percentage and topped the nation with 117 blocks. Clarke and Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura led one of the greatest Bulldogs teams in school history to a 33-4 record and a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

“He was the most low-maintenance dude,” Few told The Athletic. “He was just so easy to coach. Every time you’d see him walking around the facility, he had a smile on his face. Just a warm, kind spirit and a heck of a player. Our team that year could’ve won the national championship. He was fun to be around.”

Few said Clarke was so relaxed and easygoing that he was “oblivious” when the NBA came calling.

“We had to tell him, ‘Yeah, you’re going to have to leave — you’re going to be a lottery pick,’ ” Few said. “I don’t know how many people you could put on a Mount Rushmore of Gonzaga players, but I would put him up there for sure.”

Clarke was the 21st selection in 2019; the Grizzlies acquired his rights in a draft-night deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He quickly made an impact in Memphis. The energy and athleticism he brought in a reserve role contributed to him finishing fourth in the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year race.

In his third season, Clarke averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.5 minutes for a Grizzlies team that finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, which was tied for the most wins by a Memphis team in franchise history. The Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the 2022 playoffs, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors. Later that fall, the Grizzlies awarded Clarke a four-year, $50 million contract extension.

Over the past three seasons, injuries slowed Clarke considerably. He suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in March 2023 and then a right knee injury this March. He played in 72 games in three seasons.

Clarke had one year remaining on his contract with Memphis, where he had established himself as a beloved teammate. Niele Ivey, a former Grizzlies assistant coach who is now the head coach of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team, told The Athletic that she was “heartbroken” to hear of Clarke’s death.

“He was an incredible player, but an even better person,” she said. “I have nothing but great memories of his positive energy, enthusiasm and the way he uplifted everyone around him — teammates and coaches alike. He was the definition of a great teammate and truly a pleasure to coach. Brandon made a lasting impact on so many people, and he will be deeply missed.”

Brad Jones, a former Grizzlies assistant who coached Clarke for most of his NBA career, called Clarke the “unsung hero” of Memphis’ 2022 first-round playoff series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was the first time in seven years the Grizzlies won a playoff series.

“He was low key, cool, always had the good look — like he would dress nice but not overly nice,” Jones said. “In the locker room, everybody loved him. On the plane, everyone wanted to be around him. He was just ‘easygoing B.C.’ In all my years with him, I never heard one person say anything cross about him.”

Clarke averaged 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds during Memphis’ 2022 postseason run. He had a 17-point, 11-rebound performance in the Grizzlies’ closeout win over the Timberwolves in Game 6 in the first round.

“He was driven to be good,” Jones said. “He had decent stats, but for him, it wasn’t about stats. Ja Morant loved him — he was such a good screener and could jump out of the building. Ja threw him lob after lob. We couldn’t ask any more of him.”

Sonia Raman, a former Grizzlies assistant and now head coach of the Seattle Storm, told The Athletic that Clarke’s death doesn’t seem real. He was one of the players she stayed in touch with after she left Memphis.

“Brandon was so special to all of us, and I’m really going to miss him,” Raman, who coached Clarke from 2021 to 2024, said in a text message. “He brought so much joy to our group every day. I always admired his work ethic and the lasting bonds he formed with everyone around him. He was the ultimate teammate and competitor who meant so much to the whole Memphis community.

“I’m lucky I got to coach him and get to know him. And talk Harry Potter coffee shops and cars and injury rehab and family and everything in between over the years.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was also devastated to learn of Clarke’s death.

“As one of the longest-tenured members of the Grizzlies, Brandon was a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit,” Silver said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with Brandon’s family, friends and the Grizzlies organization.”

— Mirin Fader, Jon Krawczynski and Mark Puleo contributed to this story.