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Caleb Swanigan, former Purdue star and NBA player, dead at 25

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•06/21/22•

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Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Caleb Swanigan, who starred at Purdue before playing three years in the NBA, has died, the Boilermakers announced Tuesday. He was 25 years old.

Swanigan died of natural causes, according to WANE 15-TV. He played at Purdue from 2015 to 2017, starting all 69 games he played in West Lafayette. His best season came as a sophomore in 2016-17 when he averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game to help Purdue to a 27-8 overall record, including a 14-4 mark in Big Ten action. Those numbers earned him Big Ten Player of the Year consensus First Team All-American honors.

The Boilermakers made it to the Sweet Sixteen that year, falling to Kansas. In that NCAA Tournament, Swanigan averaged 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds over three games.

“Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends,” Purdue men’s basketball tweeted. “The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie.”

The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Swanigan with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He bounced around during his three years in the association, also suiting up for the Sacramento Kings. He played 75 games NBA games from 2017 to 2020, averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Swanigan could’ve played in the bubble after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NBA to pause the season, but opted out due to personal reasons.

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As a recruit, Swanigan was a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 7 player from the class of 2015, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also won Indiana’s Mr. Basketball that year as he starred for Homestead High School in Fort Wayne.

The Big Ten also retweeted the announcement of Swanigan’s death, offering thoughts to Purdue and Swanigan’s family.

“The Big Ten sends our deepest condolences to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends, and the Purdue community,” the tweet read.