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Former 1st-round pick Caleb Swanigan dies at 25

Caleb Swanigan, the No. 26 overall pick in 2017, was a standout player at Purdue before playing in the NBA.

From NBA.com News Services

Caleb Swanigan played three seasons in the NBA.

Caleb Swanigan, a former first-round pick who spent three seasons with two teams in the NBA, has died at 25. His alma mater, Purdue University, announced his death on Tuesday morning.

The Allen County Coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday that Swanigan died Monday of natural causes at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A private doctor will be handling his death certificate, according to Rebecca Maze, a senior investigator at the coroner’s office.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Swanigan with the No. 26 pick in the 2017 draft. He appeared in 75 NBA games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

The Blazers traded him to the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 7, 2019 for Skal Labissiere, where he spent less than a year before being dealt back to Portland on Jan. 21, 2020 with Trevor Ariza and Wenyen Gabriel for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round picks.

Swanigan was a star at Purdue, where he was a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year as a sophomore, averaging 18.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 3.1 apg in the 2016-17 season. He was also a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year awards that season as well.

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