MY ACCOUNT
Former Purdue star and NBA first-round draft pick Caleb Swanigan died on Monday in Indiana at the age of 25.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office confirmed Swanigan died of natural causes.
“Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends,” the Purdue men’s basketball Twitter account wrote in a statement. “The world lost a gentle soul last night.”
A former Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana, Swanigan spent two seasons at Purdue before embarking on a brief career in the NBA.
As a sophomore with the Boilermakers in 2016-17, Swanigan was named a consensus first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year with averages of 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. He helped lead Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Kansas in the Sweet 16.
Following a successful collegiate career, Swanigan was selected with the 26th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
He spent just over a season and a half in Portland before being traded to Sacramento and played 10 games for the Kings before being traded back to the Trail Blazers in January 2020.
He played his final NBA game on March 10, 2020. In three professional seasons, Swanigan appeared in 75 games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds.
