The basketball world awoke to heartbreaking news Tuesday when the Purdue Boilermakers announced the death of Caleb Swanigan, a gentle giant who spent three seasons in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
Swanigan was 25 years old.
The Purdue men’s basketball program made the announcement on social media, tweeting: “Devastated. Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends. The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie.”
No further details were provided.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Caleb Swanigan,” the Kings said in a statement issued by the team. “He will be remembered as a great teammate and friend. Our hearts are with his family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Swanigan overcame a difficult childhood, including homelessness and the death of his father, to become Indiana Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He received scholarship offers from Arizona, Cal, Duke and Kentucky but elected to attend Purdue, where he broke rebounding records in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Portland selected Swanigan with the 26th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. The night he was drafted, Swanigan said: “Being selected tonight in the NBA draft is a dream come true. I have been thinking of this moment for a long time. I know this is only the first step in my professional career, but I am extremely excited to begin this journey.”
The Blazers traded Swanigan to the Kings for Skal Labissiere in February 2019. He returned to Portland in January 2020 when he was part of a trade that sent Trevor Ariza and Wenyen Gabriel to the Blazers in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round picks.
Swanigan appeared in 75 games over three seasons with the Kings and Blazers, averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game. Swanigan was listed at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds during his time in the NBA, but he had to work hard to maintain that physique as his weight fluctuated wildly. He reportedly weighed 360 pounds in eighth grade and appeared to be close to 400 pounds after leaving the NBA.
Swanigan was arrested in December 2020 when police in Columbia City, Indiana, found 3.4 pounds of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Swanigan pled guilty and received a 180-day suspended sentence as part of a plea agreement.
Friends and former teammates reacted with shock and sadness upon learning of Swanigan’s death.
Harry Giles III, who also played for the Kings and Blazers, expressed his feelings on Twitter.
“I’m sick Big,” Giles tweeted.
Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family.”
The USA Basketball Junior National Team tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of #USABfamily member Caleb Swanigan. We send our thoughts & condolences to the Swanigan family & all those who knew Biggie.”
