NBA Legend Moses Malone Found Dead At 60

Moses Malone, a man of few words and many rebounds, died Sunday at age 60.

Malone was the first player to come right out of high school into the pros, signing with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association when that league was at war with the NBA. But he made his name later in the NBA, after the leagues’ merger. He led an otherwise mediocre Houston Rockets team to the NBA Finals in 1981 and then brought a championship to the Philadelphia 76ers as the Finals MVP in 1983.

Before that '83 postseason began, Malone famously predicted the Sixers would sweep the three playoff series. In a typically terse, colorful quote, Malone simply said, “Fo’, fo’, fo’,” meaning that Philly would win each series in four games. That comment infuriated opponents, but he was almost proved a prophet. The Sixers beat the Knicks in four, the Bucks in five and the Lakers in four.

Malone, a thick-bodied, 6-10 center nicknamed “Chairman of the Boards,” was impossible to budge in the paint. He led the NBA in rebounding six times, and finished his 20-year career in the league with an average of 20.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He was a three-time NBA MVP, a six-time NBA All-Star, and was voted among the league’s greatest 50 players.

Det. Jeffrey Scott of the Norfolk, Va., police department confirmed that Malone died in a Norfolk hotel room, the AP reported. There was no indication of foul play. Malone's body was discovered when he failed to report to a celebrity golf tournament in which he was scheduled to play.

Upon news of his death of an apparent heart attack, former teammates and fellow players posted condolences on social media mourning the loss of one of the most colorful players in NBA history.

"My condolences to the family and friends of Moses Malone," Ex-Sixers star Allen Iverson tweeted on Sunday morning. "You will truly be missed. Rest in peace Big Mo!!!"

Sixers CEO Scott O'Neill issued a statement on behalf of the organization. "It is with a deep sense of sadness that the Sixers family mourns the sudden loss of Moses Malone," O'Neil said. "It is difficult to express what his contributions to this organization — both as a friend and player — have meant to us, the city of Philadelphia and his faithful fans.

Moses holds a special place in our hearts and will forever be remembered as a genuine icon and pillar of the most storied era in the history of Philadelphia 76ers basketball. No one person has ever conveyed more with so few words — including three of the most iconic in this city's history. His generosity, towering personality and incomparable sense of humor will truly be missed. We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers and as we are once again reminded of the preciousness of life."

Malone's greatest accomplishment, no doubt, was winning the title with the Sixers, who had enormous talent but couldn’t quite get over the hump to beat both the Celtics and Lakers. The late Darryl Dawkins, another player who had come straight out of high school to the pros, was not quite the low-post presence required, and so Philly signed Malone as a free agent, sending Caldwell Jones and a draft pick to Houston as compensation.

Malone dominated that series against Los Angeles, though most fans celebrated the victory as Julius Erving’s one, long-deserved NBA championship. Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones had tried and failed to win in more aesthetically pleasing fashion, but clearly needed a Malone-like presence to handle the dirty work.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we got the job done,” Erving would say, after the triumph.

Malone ranks fifth among all players on the career rebound list with 16,212, and eighth in scoring with 27,409. He was unusual in being such a well-traveled superstar. He played with Utah and St. Louis in the ABA; with Buffalo, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta and San Antonio in the NBA.

Asked once to rank his accomplishments, Malone was typically circumspect.

“My only concern was winning ball games,” he said. “I’ll always be No. 1 to myself.”

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