Brandon Clarke, his $12.5 million contract will be paid in full to his family.

Brandon Clarke’s contract was fully protected in the event of his death. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor clarified that the $12.5 million remaining on his contract is expected to be paid in full through life insurance.

An earlier report incorrectly stated that Clarke’s family would not receive the money. His contract was instead structured so that the Memphis Grizzlies would reimburse the cost of the life insurance policy, a common practice in the NBA that can also provide tax benefits for players.

The money will therefore not come directly from the Grizzlies as salary, but will be covered through the life insurance policy included in the contract structure.

NBA sources confirm that Brandon Clarke’s contract was completely protected for death. The $12.5M is expected to be paid in full through life insurance.

An erroneous report said that the Clarke estate will not be paid out his $12.5M following his death in May. But the deal was… pic.twitter.com/qq99zEjjbv

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) August 14, 2026