
The NBA playoffs have a dark cloud hanging over them as the league mourns the loss of two impactful players from the league's past and present. Jason Collins and Brandon Clarke passed away, and Inside the NBA's Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal got candid about what these losses meant both for them and the league.
ESPN reported that Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, died of brain cancer at 47 on Tuesday. The same day, AP News and others reported Clarke's death, after the 29-year-old forward for the Memphis Grizzlies was found at his home on Monday. The former athletes had a lot to say about both and spoke to their connection to both.