Silence on the court: Separate tragedies rock the NBA

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It is a dark day on the hardwood as two NBA players are gone too soon.

On May 13, 2026, the basketball world received a shock after Jason Collins, the league’s first openly gay player, died at the age of 47 following an eight-month battle with brain cancer.

In a separate event, Brandon Clarke, a 29-year-old active NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies, was found dead at a residence in the Los Angeles area.

Widely recognized as a global NBA Cares ambassador and an advocate for LGBTQ+ diversity in all sports, Collins played 13 seasons in the NBA after being drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 2001.

Despite being a rookie, Collins played a vital role in New Jersey’s 2001–02 playoff campaign, where his two-way efficiency and rebounding helped the Nets reach the NBA Finals against the formidable Los Angeles Lakers squad led by the late Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

Although the Nets were swept in four games, Collins made another significant impact the following year, as they returned to the NBA Finals, this time against the San Antonio Spurs.

Collins earned his first starting role that year, but the Spurs’ attack powered by Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker proved to be too much.

After his seven-year stint with the Nets, Collins bounced around Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, and Brooklyn before calling it a career in the summer of 2014.

“On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. Our family will miss him dearly.”

Meanwhile, Clarke’s cause of death has yet to be determined, as neither the Grizzlies nor his agency, Priority Sports, provided exact details about the possible cause.

However, multiple reports said authorities discovered several items of drug paraphernalia at the residence, and a possible drug overdose is being investigated.

Before his death, Clarke was arrested six weeks earlier in Arkansas on traffic charges and possession of kratom, an herbal supplement used for energy boosts and pain relief that is classified as a controlled substance.

Clarke was about to enter his eighth year in the league after being drafted by Memphis as a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Although most of his playing years with the Grizzlies were marred by injuries, Clarke became one of the holdovers from the team’s playoff squad three years ago, together with Ja Morant.

“This hurt BC. Love you, broski. Gone way too soon,” Morant posted on his official Instagram account with a slide of video clips and photos.