Former NBA player Caleb Swanigan dies at age 25

The Allen County Coroner said Mr Swanigan died of natural causes

Caleb Swanigan, a former NBA player who was a first-round draft pick for the Portland Trail Blazers. has died.

The 25-year-old’s death was announced on Monday night by the Purdue college basketball team, where he was formerly a star player.

According to the Allen County Coroner's Office, the basketball player died of natural causes.

Mr Swanigan was a first-round draft pick in 2017, after which he played in the NBA for three years with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings.

According to ESPN, Mr Swanigan was named the Big Ten Player of the Year as well as Indiana's 'Mr Basketball' while he was in college.

Purdue's mens basketball team remembered Mr Swanigan in a tweet on Tuesday, saying the "world lost a gentle soul last night."

Mr Swanigan overcame exceptional difficulties growing up. He experienced homelessness as a child before he was adopted. He eventually earned a diploma in Educational History from Purdue, and helped to organise a fundraiser for homelessness in 2019.