Shocking new police bodycam footage has shown the moment tragic NBA star Brandon Clarke was arrested in Arkansas and found with kratom, six weeks before his death in Los Angeles at the age of 29.
Clarke, who played for the Memphis Grizzlies, was arrested after passing multiple vehicles in a no-passing zone at over 100mph on April 1, according to police at the time.
The new police footage, first reported by CBS, also now shows the moment that authorities found kratom in Clarke’s vehicle, known otherwise as ‘gas station heroin’. Kratom is illegal in Arkansas, despite Clarke being heard in the footage insisting to police that it is a legal substance.
The video begins showing a policeman aiming a pistol at Clarke’s car on the side of Highway 64 in eastern Arkansas, asking him to show his hands and put them up through the car window and outside of the vehicle.
Clarke follows the orders and eventually police are seen asking the basketball player what substances he is in possession of.
‘It’s just kratom, it is legal,’ he says. While Clarke was incorrect given that he was in Arkansas, he had played his entire NBA career in Memphis with the Grizzlies and kratom is legal in the state of Tennessee.
Police bodycam footage has shed light on Brandon Clarke’s arrest, six weeks before he died
Police in Arkansas found kratom, otherwise known as ‘gas station heroin’, on Clarke
Officers are also seen inspecting other substances packaged in names such as ‘gold rhino’.
Six weeks after that footage was recorded, Clarke was found dead on May 12 in the San Fernando Valley, with NBC4 reporting that his death was being investigated as a possible overdose.
The inquest into Clarke’s final days is still ongoing and it is not known for certain yet if kratom played any role. Users have claimed that kratom can help with pain relief but multiple studies in the United States have seen it branded unsafe and ineffective.
The American Food and Drug Administration strongly recommends against using kratom and even warns it can cause ‘liver toxicity, seizures, substance use disorder’ and ‘in rare cases, deaths have been associated with kratom use… in combination with other drugs.’
The Mayo Clinic adds that ‘people who take kratom believe that it helps them. But kratom hasn’t been shown to be safe or to treat any medical conditions.’
It is possible that Canadian-American star Clarke might have been looking for pain relief given that he was restricted to only playing in two games for the Grizzlies last season due to ongoing injury issues.
The 6ft 8in forward missed 73 games after originally sitting out 26 matches while recovering from surgery on his right knee and the last 46 with a right calf strain.
He was selected with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga by Oklahoma City Thunder, who traded him to Memphis almost immediately.
Clarke died on May 12 in California and an investigation into his death remains ongoing
Clarke was only 29 when he died and his passing plunged the NBA world into mourning
He died just four months before his 30th birthday on September 19.
‘We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,’ the Grizzlies said at the time of his death.
‘Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.’
