Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. mourns close friend and former teammate Brandon Clarke

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) and forward Brandon Clarke (15) react during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman) | Nikki Boertman

CHICAGO — The NBA world was rocked Tuesday when news came out that Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, had died on Monday.

According to a report from NBC Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded Monday to a 911 call of a medical emergency. Clarke was declared dead at the scene and the incident is being investigated as a possible overdose.

Jaren Jackson Jr., whom the Utah Jazz acquired from Memphis at the trade deadline this year, put a tribute on his instagram on Wednesday, remembering his former teammate.

“This is absolutely devastating,” Jackson wrote, calling Clarke his “twin” and adding, “just wish i could talk to you. You were so much to so many and even more to me.”

Clarke was drafted in 2019, a year after Jackson, and the two were teammates until Jackson was traded to the Jazz in February.

Team sources familiar with the players and their relationship called the two “best friends” and said that Jackson is understandably experiencing deep grief and sadness.

“You were always a light and you were always so genuine and real and our friendship went far beyond anything on the court,” Jackson wrote in his post on Instagram. “I truly lost my twin. I’m still going to be talking to you always. You will be forever loved and forever missed.”