Jaylen Brown Pays Tribute to Late Kentucky Star Terrence Clarke During Celtics Parade

Patrick Andres | Jun 22, 2024

Jul 29, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver honors deceased Kentucky player Terrence Clarke during the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Former Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke was supposed to be the next great Boston-bred NBA draft prospect—an heir to the legacy of Dana Barros, Bruce Brown and other pros from the city.

Unfortunately, Clarke was killed in a Los Angeles car crash on April 22, 2021. He was just 19, with the draft mere months ahead of him; the NBA would eventually draft him as a ceremonial posthumous pick.

His death hit the tight-knit basketball world—and the New England basketball community in particular—hard. As the Boston Celtics marched to the NBA title this season, guard Jaylen Brown took it upon himself to pay Clarke continued homage.

Brown donned Clarke's high school jersey for the slam dunk contest in February, and during the Celtics' championship parade on Friday, he held a mock-up Clarke Boston jersey aloft.

Jaylen Brown held up a Terrence Clarke jersey during the Celtics parade on Friday.

Brown also gave a tribute to Clarke, a Boston native, during the 2024 NBA Dunk Contest.

📷 @FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/U3nxiDc634

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 22, 2024

Clarke played in eight games for the Wildcats in 2021, averaging 9.6 points per game in a season limited by injury.