Elden Campbell, who spent the bulk of his 15-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers before beating his former team in the 2004 Finals, has died. He was 57.
“We mourn the loss of Elden Campbell, our all-time leading scorer, All-American and three-time All-ACC player, who passed away at the age of 57,” the Clemson University men’s basketball team wrote on its official Twitter/X account Wednesday.
The Inglewood, California native was drafted by the Lakers in the first round (27th overall) in 1990. He played for the Lakers from 1990-99, until a midseason trade sent him, along with Eddie Jones, to the Charlotte Hornets for B.J. Armstrong, J.R. Reid, and Glen Rice.
Campbell spent the final six seasons of his career with four different teams: the Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets.
In 2003-04, Campbell played 65 games and started 27 for the Pistons, who upset the heavily favored Lakers in a five-game Finals.
The center averaged 13.6 minutes per game off the bench in the series, scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds across the five games.
For his career, Campbell averaged 10.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 1,044 contests.
Campbell was named first-team all-ACC and an honorable mention All-American as a senior for Clemson in 1989-90. He finished his career with the Tigers with 1,880 points - a record that still stands 35 years after his final collegiate game.
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"I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell's passing," Cliff Ellis, Campbell's head coach at Clemson, said via the school’s website. "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. He went on to a 15-year career in the NBA and won a World Championship."
Campbell still ranks third in Lakers history in blocked shots, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal.
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