Reaction to death of NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone

Former Houston Rockets and NBA Hall of Fame center Moses Malone died Sunday morning He was 60 years old.

Malone was in Norfolk, Virginia to play in a golf tournament.

Calvin Murphy, friend and also NBA Hall of Famer, in Virginia for the same golf tournament, told Mark Berman that Malone died in his sleep from an apparent heart attack

Murphy went on to say, " The last 4 days of his life I spent with him, he was the happiest I have ever seen him."

Mark Berman also spoke with Moses Malone Jr. who said this about his father, " He was my and my brothers best friend. He taught us so much about life. He came from nothing. He taught us how to work hard and respect people, love your family and always do the right thing." "He was a good person. He was always there to help people. He cared about people who had less than him." 

"This is a sad day, I always thought my dad was invincible. He loved the game of basketball dearly. I always thought my dad would be here longer than me. It's the hardest thing I've ever dealt with in my life."

 

Leslie Alexander, Houston Rockets owner: " Everyone in the organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Moses Malone. Moses was a true gentleman and one of the great Rockets and greatest NBA players of all time. He will be forever missed and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends." 

 

Rockets teammate, John Lucas "This hurts a lot. He was my college roommate for one day and then he went to the pros."

Moses Malone, was a three-time NBA MVP and 13-time All-Star. He played for the Houston Rockets from 1977 - 1982.

Malone was nicknamed the “Chairman of the Boards” for his rebounding dominance, won a title with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 and made the All-Star game 12 times in a row, from 1978-1989. During 21 seasons playing pro basketball, the 6-10 center averaged 20.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.