NBA champion Elden Campbell has died at 57 years old. The 15-year NBA veteran spent nine years with the Los Angeles Lakers, four years with the former Charlotte Hornets, as well as stops with the Detroit Pistons, the former New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics and former New Jersey Nets.
Campbell’s Dec. 1 death was the result of a drowning, Broward County chief of investigative services Thomas Steinkamp said to People. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said the death was accidental.
A first-round draft pick, Campbell was selected 27th overall by the Lakers in 1990. He blossomed into a 15 points per game scorer on a team with Shaquille O’Neal and a rookie Kobe Bryant during the 1996-97 season. He was an integral two-way player on those early-to-mid ’90s Lakers teams, and was the second-leading scorer for the team during the 1994-95 playoffs.
Though Campbell is most well known for his time with the Lakers, he won a championship with the Pistons in 2004, where he beat his former team during the NBA Finals.
Prior to starting his NBA career, Campbell was a standout college player at Clemson, where he was a two-time All ACC player, and led the Tigers to what is still their only regular season conference title during the 1990 season. Campbell averaged 16.4 points during that season and led the ACC in blocks per game in three out of his four years. During his senior year, Campbell helped lead Clemson to a Sweet 16 finish.
Campbell is still Clemson’s all-time leading scorer with 1,880 career points, and is second in total blocks. Cliff Ellis, who was Campbell’s coach at Clemson, expressed how important the big man was to the Tigers’ success.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” Ellis said in a statement via the Los Angeles Times. “Elden was a great player for four years, especially in 1989-90 when he was a major reason we won Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship. … But most of all, Elden was an outstanding, giving person. This is a sad day for the Clemson family.”
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who played two seasons with Campbell, shared his thoughts about his former teammate’s death on social media.
“I just received devastating news that my former Lakers teammate and friend Elden Campbell has passed away. He was such a gentle soul. As a basketball player, he was extremely athletic. I loved throwing lobs to Elden because he could jump out the gym and had so much talent! Cookie and I are praying for his family and Lakers Nation as they mourn during this difficult time. Rest in peace Big E!”
The Lakers also shared their condolences with a social media post.
Several of Campbell’s former teammates took to social media to express their sadness over the news, including Cedric Ceballos. “This one hurt to the bone,” Ceballos wrote on an Instagram post with a picture of Campbell. “Grew up as kids together.”
Campbell was a member of the 2025 Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame, and was named to Clemson’s Hall of Fame in 2000.