NBA legend Moses Malone, a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and voted one of the NBA's greatest 50 players of all time has died. He was 60 years old.
The 6-foot-10 Malone earned the moniker "Chairman of the Boards" for his rebounding prowess. He was a 13-time all-star who was part of the Philadelphia 76ers that defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1983 NBA championship.
The news of Malone's passing was first reported by ESPN and later confirmed in a statement by the Philadelphia 76ers, but the organization did not immediately provide a cause of death.
According to the CBS Sports, those iconic words referred to a prognosis Malone made in of how many consecutive games his 76ers would win during the 1983 playoffs.
"The 'three of the most iconic in this city's history' part refers to 'fo, fo, fo' — Malone famously and succinctly predicted that Philadelphia would sweep each round of the playoffs in 1983. He was just off — the Sixers lost one game in the postseason."
Malone was the first player to be drafted to the pros straight from high school. He was drafted by the ABA's Utah Stars when he was 19 years old. He also is the NBA's all-time leader in offense rebounds with 6,731, according to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner. This puts Malone more than 2,000 offensive rebounds ahead of Celtics great Robert Parish who is second on that list.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Malone "among the most dominant centers to ever play the game."
"We are stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Moses Malone, an NBA legend gone far too soon. Known to his legions of fans as the 'Chairman of the Boards,' Moses competed with intensity every time he stepped on the court. With three MVPs and an NBA championship, he was among the most dominant centers ever to play the game and one of the best players in the history of the NBA and the ABA. Even more than his prodigious talent, we will miss his friendship, his generosity, his exuberant personality, and the extraordinary work ethic he brought to the game throughout his 21-year pro career. Our thoughts are with Moses' family and friends during this difficult time."
Malone's death comes on the heels of the passing of another NBA great, Darryl Dawkins, known as "Chocolate Thunder" who passed away last month at 58 years old.
Copyright 2015 NPR
