The NBA is still in mourning following the deaths of Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins on Tuesday.
Clarke and Collins were both remembered just before Wednesday's showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons for Game 5 of their second-round series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
A moment of silence was observed for Clarke and Collins, as shown in this video:
Cavs-Pistons paid tribute to Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins pregame. pic.twitter.com/Lc4zFoxsFe
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2026
Clarke died at the age of 29, with the exact details of his death yet to be released. He entered the NBA as a first-round pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019 after playing college basketball for the San Jose State Spartans and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
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However, Clarke only played for one NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies. He suited up for a total of 309 games in the league and posted career averages of 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He was an efficient scorer who made 60.5 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Collins at the age of 47 from brain cancer. He revealed in November that he was battling Stage 4 glioblastoma.
The former Stanford Cardinal star played 13 years in the NBA and suited up for the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards and Grizzlies. He had career averages of 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 735 games, including 477 starts. Collins was part of the New Jersey teams that won the Eastern Conference title on consecutive years and went to the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons.
Clarke and Collins were also remembered before Game 5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves-San Antonio Spurs series on Tuesday.
The NBA is still in mourning following the deaths of Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins on Tuesday. Clarke and Collins were both remembered just before Wednesday's showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons for Game 5 of their second-round series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.