Former Portland Trail Blazers and Purdue University forward Caleb Swanigan died Monday night at the age of 25.
“The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie,” read a tweet from the Purdue men’s basketball team.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Swanigan died of natural causes, according to Fort Wayne TV station WANE.
The former Big Ten Player of the Year out of Purdue was drafted by the Blazers in 2017 with the 26th-overall pick. He spent two seasons in Portland before the Blazers traded him to Sacramento in 2019. Swanigan returned to the Blazers in 2020 in a trade that also netted forward Trevor Ariza.
The Blazers did not bring Swanigan back the following season. In three seasons with Portland, Swanigan averaged 2.4 points per game in 65 appearances with four starts.
At Purdue, Swanigan became a great success story both on and off the court. He had openly talked about being homeless as a child and his father being addicted to drugs.
Swanigan overcame those obstacles to become the Big Ten player of the year in 2017 after averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
“The Purdue basketball family is deeply saddened and devastated at the loss of Caleb Swanigan,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said in a statement, according to CBSSports. “Caleb was a very thoughtful individual and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the court. He made a huge difference in everyone’s lives that he touched and he will be greatly missed.”
The Blazers tweeted the following on Tuesday: “We are heartbroken by the passing of former Trail Blazers player Caleb Swanigan. Our thoughts and prayers are with Caleb’s family, friends and all who loved him.”
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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