Caleb Swanigan

2022 - 6 - 22

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Image courtesy of "Basketball Forever"

Former NBA Player Caleb Swanigan Dies At 25 (Basketball Forever)

Former NBA player and Purdue Boilermaker standout Caleb Swanigan passed away from natural causes Monday in Indiana.

The 6-foot-9 Swanigan played three years in the NBA with the Trailblazers and the Sacramento Kings, averaging 2.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. Swanigan was arrested several months later, in December 2020, for drug possession and appeared out of shape in his mugshot. He was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American, and a finalist for the Naismith Award his sophomore season. Swanigan was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball 2015 his senior year at Homestead High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and led the team to the state championship. Swanigan averaged 14.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in two seasons at Purdue. Former NBA player and Purdue Boilermaker Caleb Swanigan passed away from natural causes at the age of 25 on Monday night at a Fort Wayne hospital, according to the Allen County coroner’s office.

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Image courtesy of "Hammer and Rails"

Purdue All-American Caleb Swanigan Has Died (Hammer and Rails)

Caleb Swanigan was just 13 years old when former Purdue football player Roosevelt Barnes, at the behest of Caleb's older brother, took him under his wing, ...

It’s apparent that in Caleb Swanigan’s life there was much to try and forget, much pain to numb, and a family history to try and outrun. To see the next move and go up and grab it. Caleb Swanigan, the young man who fought so hard and sacrificed so much in order to find stability away from a life of drugs and overeating had found himself in the position that many had long feared was his destiny. The young man who overcame so much and put it all out on the floor each and every night was gone. The young man who weighed in at nearly 400 pounds had transformed his body and his mind and became a first round NBA Draft pick. He was an NBA player, he was an All-American, he had his jersey retired at a major university. Following this season he did the smart thing and declared for the NBA Draft. He was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Portland Trailblazers. He had done the unthinkable. Following this incredible season for Swanigan he was named a consensus All-American becoming the first Purdue player to do so in six seasons. It was the story of a young man who grew up in a difficult environment that included homeless shelters, moving back and forth between Utah and Indiana with a mother trying to do her best with six children and a father who had fallen victim to drug addiction. Swanigan recorded one of the top statistical seasons in not only Purdue history, but NCAA history, en route to first-team honors. Instead, just look at his sophomore season and you realize he had 29 double digit rebound games that season out of just 35 games. It was the story of a young man who loved dessert, cheesecake especially, who seemingly used food to comfort himself in these awful situations.

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Image courtesy of "NBA.com"

Former 1st-round pick Caleb Swanigan dies at 25 (NBA.com)

Caleb Swanigan, the No. 26 overall pick in 2017, was a standout player at Purdue before playing in the NBA.

— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr)June 21, 2022 He was also a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year awards that season as well. He appeared in 75 NBA games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

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Image courtesy of "Purdue Exponent"

Former Purdue player Caleb Swanigan dies at 25 (Purdue Exponent)

Former Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan has reportedly died at age 25, according to a Fort Wayne TV station.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Former Trail Blazers player and 'gentle soul' Caleb Swanigan dies ... (The Guardian)

Caleb Swanigan, who played in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings, had died at the age of 25.

Alongside his basketball career at Purdue, Swanigan was an excellent student and graduated with a diploma in educational history. Fly high Big, you’ll be missed by so many brother.” So much fun to be around.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Caleb Swanigan, former NBA player and Purdue star, dies at 25 (The Washington Post)

"He made a huge difference in everyone's lives that he touched and he will be greatly missed," Boilermakers Coach Matt Painter said of the 2017 Big Ten ...

Following Swanigan’s departure from the NBA, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug possession charge in 2021. Swanigan was then drafted 26th by the Portland Trail Blazers, who later dealt the 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward to the Sacramento Kings in a 2019 midseason trade. “… He had to learn to eat stuff that’s green.” Was such a thoughtful person and gentle soul who had to overcome so much in his life.— Purdue’s Matt Painter (@CoachPainter) “Caleb was a very thoughtful individual and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the court. As a sophomore at Purdue, Swanigan earned numerous accolades, including the 2017 Big Ten player of the year award and first-team all-American citations.

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Image courtesy of "NBC Sports Chicago"

Caleb Swanigan, former Purdue star and first-round NBA draft pick ... (NBC Sports Chicago)

Caleb Swanigan, a former standout at Purdue and first-round NBA draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, has died at the age of 25.

Rest in peace, Biggie." "Caleb was a very thoughtful individual and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the court. "We are heartbroken by the passing of former Trail Blazers player Caleb Swanigan," the Blazers said in a statement.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Former NBA player Caleb Swanigan dies aged 25 (CNN)

Former NBA player Caleb Swanigan died aged 25 on Monday night, his college basketball team, Purdue, announced.

"Caleb was a very thoughtful individual and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the court. Rest In Peace, Biggie," Portland said on Twitter. He also played for the Sacramento Kings.

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Image courtesy of "CBSSports.com"

Purdue All-American, former NBA player Caleb Swanigan dead at ... (CBSSports.com)

Swanigan was a standout at Purdue and was drafted in the first round in 2017 by the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was that decision that led Swanigan down a path in basketball that turned him into one of the best high school prospects in the country. "Caleb was a very thoughtful individual and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the court. He pursued a vocation in rap music thereafter — long before that, he lovingly took on the nickname "Biggie" — though Swanigan also gained notoriety for his ongoing health issues, and a drug charge in 2021, following his departure from the NBA. Swanigan, a former McDonald's All-American, parlayed his dominant sophomore campaign to early entry into the NBA Draft. He was selected 26th overall in 2017 by the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played for two seasons. The family confirmed the death. Former Purdue standout and 2016-17 consensus First Team All-American Caleb Swanigan died Monday, the school announced.

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