Former Portland Trail Blazers big man Caleb Swanigan was a member of the team just last season, but it appears he has fallen on some tough times of late. The former Purdue star pleaded guilty to a marijuana possession charge on Monday, and pictures have surfaced of him carrying a lot of added weight since he was in the NBA in 2020.
People are naturally curious what happened to Swanigan in the last year, but former Blazers teammate Damian Lillard had a strong message about the situation in response.
It's unclear just how much Dame knows about what's going on with Swanigan, but he wants people to be respectful and supportive in the right way. Based on Swanigan's appearance, it's clear he is going through a rough time, and let's hope he gets the help he needs to get back on the right track. The last year was tough for a lot of people because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the lengthy quarantine causing a lot of stress and mental health issues.
It's a positive that Swanigan will not be going to jail for the marijuana possession charge and will instead be going through a substance abuse evaluation.
The Blazers drafted Swanigan with the 26th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The big man was a star at Purdue but wasn't able to gain any traction in Portland. He was traded to the Sacramento Kings in his second season before returning to the Blazers in a trade in 2019-20. The 24-year-old didn't get another contract.
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