Sad news from US basketball.
Caleb Swanigan died Sunday night at a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His family confirmed this. The ex-NBA professional was only 25 years old.
Not much is known about the exact circumstances surrounding the tragedy. The Allen County Medical Examiner merely stated that Swanigan died of natural causes.
Swanigan’s college team, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, wrote on Twitter: “We are devastated. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends. The world lost a gentle soul last night.”
His ex-coach Matt Painter says in a statement from the university: “The Purdue basketball family is deeply saddened and devastated by the loss of Caleb Swanigan. Caleb was a very thoughtful person and a gentle soul who excelled both on and off the field. He made a huge difference in the lives of everyone he touched and we will miss him dearly.”
Swanigan was drafted 26th overall by Portland in the 2017 NBA draft. In 2019 he moved to Sacramento, in 2020 he returned to the Trail Blazers. Overall, the power forward made 75 NBA games. Portland wrote on Twitter: “Our hearts are broken at the death of our ex-player Caleb Swanigan.”
Swanigan was considered a great NBA talent, but in 2020 his career took a hit. The professional, who struggled with an unhealthy relationship with food and a drug-addicted father as a child, canceled the Corona Bubble tournament in Orlando for personal reasons. A photo later circulated on the Internet showing him very overweight.
His ex-teammate Damian Lillard (31) defended him on social media at the time against malicious comments: “He clearly has serious problems in life. You don’t know what he’s going through that’s causing such a drastic change. Don’t ask such a sh… how that can be possible. As if it were impossible to be a tall man walking down a dark street.”
After his NBA exit, Swanigan started a career as a rapper, calling himself “Biggie”. But even that didn’t seem to get him off the dark road.
Now many only have to say goodbye. Purdue University writes, “We love you, Biggie.”
