Through Carlo ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
December 8, 2025
The 57-year-old’s drowning death was ruled an accident
Former NBA player Elden Campbell was found dead when his body washed up in Pompano Beach, Florida, after authorities received a 911 call saying it “looked like a dead person on the ground in a white coffin.”
“The NBA mourns the passing of Elden Campbell (1968-2025). Elden was the No. 27 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and played 15 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets. Campbell won an NBA… pic.twitter.com/fHVe7DJV8b
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) December 3, 2025
According to The New York PostCampbell, who played as a center for the Los Angeles Lakers during his NBA career, was found dead on December 1. Officials ruled his drowning “an accident,” but according to Broward County Chief of Investigations Services Thomas Steinkamp, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident.
A caller who noticed Campbell’s body called police officers to inform them of his discovery.
The media outlet received the 911 call at the time the person reported it.
“It looks like a coffin,” you hear the man say to the operator during the conversation. “It looks like a human body on the ground – dead.
“I didn’t get close to it. But I turned on my camera and zoomed in, and I zoomed in, and it looked like a dead person on the ground in a white coffin.”
Carey Todd, a spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, stated that investigators arrived on the scene before 8 p.m. and found Campbell dead “next to a jet ski.”
He also told the media that “the information about the coffin was inaccurate,” Todd said.
“At this time, foul play is not suspected and the investigation into the death is ongoing.”
The 57-year-old played college basketball at Clemson and was selected by the Lakers with the 27th overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft. During his 15-year career, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while playing for the Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets. He helped the Pistons win an NBA championship in 2004.
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