Moses Malone

[thirstyboots18]

It was just announced that Moses Malone has passed away at age 60.    No details yet.  R.I.P.

[fairweatherfan]

Wow - seems like much too soon.  Between him and Dawkins those old Philly teams are leaving us fast.  RIP Moses, good luck making it to the promised land.

[Neurotic Guy]

Wow.  This close to Dawkins' death. Both way too young.  Moses was great -- hated here for a while, especially when Larry referred to him at that post-championship rally.  This is really sad.

[Moranis]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13645531/three-nba-mvp-moses-malone-dies-age-60

[Eric M VAN]

Didn't see this had already been posted, Moderators feel free to delete.


Philadelphia 76ers legend Moses Malone passed away Sunday morning at age 60, according to team.
Malone was a three-time NBA MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, Pro Basketball Hall-of-Famer and is one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players.
A 6-foot-10 center who made the leap right from high school to the pros, Malone played five of his 19 NBA seasons with the Sixers (1982-86, 1993-94).
He helped lead the team to an NBA Championship in 1983 and was even named NBA Finals MVP.
Nicknamed “Chairman of the Boards” and “Big Mo,” Malone led the league in rebounds per game for five straight seasons from 1980 to 1985.
Malone retired from the NBA in 1995 and remains the league’s career leader in offensive rebounds.
The 76ers released the following statement regarding Malone’s passing:
“It is with a deep sense of sadness that the Sixers family mourns the sudden loss of Moses Malone. 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.”

[Emmette Bryant]

Love the battles between Moses Malone and Robert Parish.  RIP

[SHAQATTACK]

One of my favorite s growing up .   Was the real deal.

RIP big fellow.....very sad ...

[Celtics4ever]

May he RIP, the man was a monster on the boards.   4-4-4 was a NBA Classic although I hated the guy when he played us.

[Moranis]

Some good stuff in here from Sir Charles about Moses mentoring him and giving him the kick in the pants he needed to get and stay in shape.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13650802/nba-how-moses-malone-mentored-young-charles-barkley

Some interesting stuff.  Here is part of it

"I was really struggling in the beginning," Barkley admitted.

Barkley said he reported to camp weighing close to 300 pounds. Few in the Sixers' organization, particularly coach Billy Cunningham, saw the humor in his nickname -- the Round Mound of Rebound. Barkley, who expected to step in and be a starter, saw limited action in the early days of the season.

He turned to the one veteran who offered the most encouragement -- the imposing Moses Malone -- and asked him for some feedback.

"I pulled Moses aside and asked him, 'Why am I not playing more?'" Barkley recalled on Sunday.

Malone turned, looked him up and down and declared, "You're fat and you're lazy, that's why. You can't play basketball if you're not in shape."

Moses instructed the rookie to lose 10 pounds, then told him to meet him at the gym an hour ahead of practice the following morning. For the next month, he trained Barkley before and after the team workouts. Barkley shed 15 pounds in a week's time and started to notice a difference in his stamina.

"So now I'm playing a little bit," Barkley said, "and Moses says to me, 'Lose 10 more.' I get down to 275 and I'm close to breaking into the starting lineup and the big man tells me, 'Ten more. Give me 10 more.' By the time he was done with me, I was down to 255 pounds."

"He never said anything about what he did for me," Barkley said. "Most guys, when they mentor a young player like that, they go around saying, 'Yeah, that was me. I did that.' Not Moses. He never told anybody. And that was the best part."

apparently Barkley called Moses dad.

[kozlodoev]

No details yet.  R.I.P.

FWIW.

The Virginia medical examiner's office said Monday that Malone died of natural causes, listing the cause of death as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.