Former NBA forward Caleb Swanigan died on Monday night, according to an announcement from his alma mater of Purdue (Twitter link). Swanigan was 25 years old.
Swanigan spent two seasons with the Boilermakers from 2015-17, enjoying a breakout season as a sophomore. He averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 35 games in 2016/17, earning consensus first-team All-American honors and the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
The 26th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Swanigan spent his rookie year the Trail Blazers, then was traded to Sacramento midway through his second NBA season. He was sent back to Portland about a year later. In total, he appeared in 75 NBA games across three seasons, averaging 2.3 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 8.7 minutes per contest for the Blazers and Kings.
Swanigan battled obesity and spent time in homeless shelters during his childhood before becoming a star at Purdue, as Myron Medcalf of ESPN detailed in a 2017 profile.
Our condolences go out to Swanigan’s friends and family.