Former Purdue Basketball Star Caleb Swanigan Dead At 25

Former Purdue men's basketball star and NBA player Caleb Swanigan passed away Monday night at the age of 25, the university announced.

Per WANE 15 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Swanigan died of natural causes.

"Devastated. Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends," the university wrote, via Twitter. "The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie."

Swanigan was a highly-decorated recruit coming out of Homestead High School, leading the school to its first-ever state title during his senior season in 2015. He was named Indiana Mr. Basketball after averaging 22.6 PPG and 13.7 RPG.

Swanigan would stay home and play collegiate ball for the Boilermakers after initially committing to Michigan State. He became a standout at Purdue and was named Big Ten Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All American in his sophomore season.

Swanigan entered the 2017 NBA Draft and was selected 26th overall by the Trail Blazers. Swanigan played one plus seasons in Portland before being dealt to the Kings midway through the 2018-19 season. He would be traded back to Portland the following season, where he would finish out his final season in the association.


Written by
Nick Geddes is a 2021 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A life-long sports enthusiast, Nick shares a passion for sports writing and is proud to represent OutKick.