Remembering NBA Star and Clemson Legend Elden Campbell at 57

Clemson men’s basketball all-time leading scorer Elden Campbell died at age 57 this week, the school announced on Wednesday.

Campbell’s name is plastered all over Clemson’s record books. He finished his four seasons with the Tigers scoring 1,880 career points (school record), 334 blocks (second in school history) and 836 rebounds (eighth in school history).

While playing for the Tigers from 1986–90, Campbell appeared in three NCAA tournaments. In his final season, Campbell helped lead the team to an ACC regular season title, the school’s only one in program history.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” Campbell’s former Clemson head coach Cliff Ellis said in a statement. “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. But most of all, Elden was an outstanding, giving person. This is a sad day for the Clemson family. Elden loved Clemson, he came back and supported the program after he retired. He exemplified what Clemson was all about.”

As Ellis mentions above, Campbell was selected in the first round of the 1990 NBA draft by the Lakers, where he played for nine seasons. He also played for the Hornets, SuperSonics, Nets and Pistons before retiring in 2005. He won an NBA title with Detroit in ‘04.

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