Celtics Mourn Death of College Basketball Player Terrence Clarke, a Boston Native

Celtics mourn Terrence Clarke's tragic passing after game vs. Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Thursday night, the basketball world was rocked by the sudden loss of Kentucky basketball player Terrence Clarke.

Clarke, a 19-year-old Dorchester native, died in a car crash on the way home from a workout in Los Angeles, per NBC affiliate LEX18 and other reports. The 6-foot-7 wing had been preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Terrence Clarke, a Kentucky freshman guard headed for the NBA Draft, died following a car accident in the Los Angeles-area this afternoon, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. Clarke’s mother was at his side when he passed on Thursday. He was 19 years old.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 23, 2021

Clarke died on the way to the hospital while his Kentucky teammate BJ Boston, who had been in a car behind Clarke, is reportedly okay.

After the Boston Celtics' game against the Phoenix Suns, coach Brad Stevens spoke to the media about Clarke's death and was visibly impacted by his passing.

"To be honest, as I was walking down the hallway when I heard this news about Terrence Clarke," Stevens said while discussing the game against the Suns. "Not sure how much I want to talk about the game when you consider it.

"[He's] a Boston kid. I don't know what's real yet. I have not heard anything confirmed, but I've read what you've read. Those kids are important to us here. You know, I never met him, I know my son looks up to him. It's hard to talk about a basketball game even with the idea that's floating out there."

While Stevens didn't have a personal relationship with Clarke, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did. The duo worked out with the Brewster prep star on off days before he went to Kentucky, per MassLive.com's Tom Westerholm. Clarke himself called Brown and Tatum two of his "big supporters" while Brown called Clarke a "super talented kid, who is going to have a bright future."

Kemba Walker echoed their thoughts when he was asked about Clarke after the Celtics-Suns game.

"He’s a very good kid. Just always smiling, always energetic. He was about to get his opportunity too," Walker said. "My condolences to his family. It’s a tough time. That’s really tough news to hear.

"I don’t even know what to say. It's mind-boggling to hear something like that, especially after the game."