One of the greatest basketball players of all time has passed away. Moses Malone, who played for a handful of teams during his NBA career including the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, died last night at the age of 60.
THIS JUST IN: Three-time NBA MVP and Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone dies at age of 60. pic.twitter.com/6v61xV7mbj
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2015
According to Philadelphia sports broadcaster Howard Eskin, Malone was found in bed this morning. There is no word on who found Malone or how he died, but he was reportedly scheduled to play in a golf tournament today with fellow Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy.
Malone’s NBA career features a laundry list of accolades.Statistically, Malone averaged 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game over his 21-year career, and the 6,731 offensive rebounds that he grabbed over the course of his career are the most in league history. Malone’s 27,409 career points are the 12th most all time.
He was the league MVP three times (1979, 1982 and 1983) and won the Finals MVP en route to winning his only NBA Championship in 1983 as a member of the Sixers. The Chairman of the Boards was a monster in those Playoffs in 1983 – he famously proclaimed that the Sixers would sweep through the postseason – as he averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds over 13 games. Malone made 14 All-Star teams, 12 in the NBA and two in the ABA, four first-team All-NBA teams and four second-team All-NBA teams.
In 1996, he was chosen as one of the 50 greatest players in league history, and in 2001, Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
