NBA honors late Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke as honorary draft pick during first round
In a touching moment following the first 14 selections, the NBA honored late Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke during the NBA Draft on Thursday in Brooklyn.
Clarke's mother, brother and sister sat at a table close to the draft stage and were brought up to the stage as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke.
Clarke's mother, Osmine, was sobbing as the trio made their way to the stage as Terrence Clarke was announced as an honorary draft pick.
Clarke died on April 22 after a car accident in Los Angeles, where he was training for the draft. The 19-year-old spent his freshman season at Kentucky, where he battled an ankle injury that limited him to eight games. Still, Clarke was expected to be a second-round target in this year's draft before his death.
"(Terrence) was so ready for it," Osmine Clarke said in an ABC interview on Thursday. "So excited. That's all he talked about, going to the draft. Like, 'Mommy, am I ready for this? This is big.' I was like, 'Yes, Terrence. You wouldn't have been in this position if people didn't think you were this good.'"
