Clemson Mourns Unexpected Loss of All-Time Leading Scorer Elden Campbell

Campbell was inducted into the Clemson Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and went on to have a long NBA career

One of the top basketball stars to come through Clemson has died at 57 | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

A Clemson Tigers legend, and one of the top basketball players in school history, has died.

 According to a post from Clemson basketball’s official X account, Elden Campbell died at the age of 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. pic.twitter.com/bWP6wAcsn9

— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) December 3, 2025

The Los Angeles native played for the Tigers from 1986 to 1990 and is still the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,880 career points. He is also second in program history with 334 career blocks.

In 2000, Campbell was inducted into the Clemson Athletics Hall of Fame. His former coach, Cliff Ellis, released a statement shortly after his death.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” said Cliff Ellis, Campbell’s head coach at Clemson. “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.”

According to his family, he collapsed during a fishing trip in Florida, and his death was unexpected, as he was considered to be healthy at the time.

During his time at Clemson, Campbell was a three-time All-ACC selection and helped the Tigers win an ACC Championship in 1990, later reaching the Sweet 16 before losing to UConn on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater.

Through four seasons, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 56.2% from the field. His best season with the Tigers came during the 1987-1988 campaign, when he averaged a career-high 18.8 points and 3.1 blocks to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

Campbell went on to have a lengthy and successful NBA career, playing 15 seasons and winning an NBA Finals with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

He spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and is the team’s leading scorer of the 1990s after spending eight and a half years with the franchise.

He blocked 1,022 shots during his time with the Lakers, good for third best in team history. His 1,602 career blocks rank 34th in NBA history.

His best NBA season came during his first season with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as teammates, when Campbell averaged 14.9 points, eight rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while starting 77 games. 

Throughout his NBA career, he appeared in 1,044 games while making 671 starts, totaling averages of 10.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.