Former Los Angeles Lakers center Elden Campbell has died at the age of 57, according to a report from the L.A. Times. Campbell was 57 years of age and the cause of the death is not known.
Campbell was born in Los Angeles in 1968 and attended Morningside High School in Inglewood. He played at Clemson University for four years before being drafted by the Lakers with the 27th overall pick in 1990.
The center wound up playing 15 NBA seasons, the first nine of which came with Los Angeles. In 618 career games for the Lakers, Campbell averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 1999 along with Eddie Jones for Glen Rice, J.R. Reid and B.J. Armstrong.
Campbell was the Lakers’ leading scorer between 1990–91 and 1998–99. After leaving the Lakers, he finished out his career playing for the Charlotte and New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets before retiring in 2005. He won an NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004, beating the Lakers to do so and playing strong defense against Shaquille O’Neal in the process.
In 1,044 career games (671 starts) for Campbell, he averaged 10.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. His 1,602 career blocks rank 34rd in NBA history.
Former Lakers teammates mourn loss of Elden Campbell
By all accounts, Elden Campbell was a beloved teammate, both with the Lakers and elsewhere in his career.
After his death, former Lakers player and coach Byron Scott mourned the loss of his former teammate, via Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times:
“I just remember his demeanor. That’s why we nicknamed him ‘Easy E,’ ” Scott told The Times. “He was just so cool, nothing speeding him up. He was going to take his time. He was just easy. He was such a good dude. I loved Easy, man.”
Cedric Caballos also took to Instagram after Campbell’s death:
Campbell leaves behind quite the legacy, both in his hometown of Los Angeles and across the entire NBA world.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!