NBA News: Basketball legend Moses Malone dies at age 60

Hall of Famer Moses Malone has reportedly died at the age of 60. Malone, a three-time NBA MVP and considered as one of the greatest players in the NBA, died on Monday in Norfolk, Virginia.

Norfolk Police Department confirmed that Malone died in a Norfolk hotel room. According to ESPN, Det. Jeffrey Scott said there was no indication of foul play. Mark Berman of Fox 26 reported on Twitter that Malone died in his sleep. Malone’s body was discovered when he failed to report to a celebrity golf tournament in which he was scheduled to play. Berman also revealed that Malone’s passing came as a shock as the three-time MVP just attended the induction ceremonies for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 recently.

Malone, who was named as one of NBA’s 50 greatest players, was essential for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983, when he led the team into an NBA title and won the Finals MVP. He also won MVP honors twice in 1978-79 and 1981-82 seasons for the Houston Rockets.

The 76sers mourned at the passing of Malone, saying in a statement issued on NBA’s official website that Malone holds a special place in the team and will forever be remembered as a “genuine icon” in the history of the club. NBA commissioner Adam Silver also paid tribute to the iconic man. Silver said in a league statement that was posted on Twitter that the organisation was deeply stunned by the death of Malone, whom Silver described as one of the “most dominant centres” ever to play the game.

Former NBA player Charles Barkley, who was mentored by Malone during his prime years, also paid tribute to the 6-foot-10 centre. The two of them were teammates with the 76ers for the first two years of Barkley’s career.

"The man I called 'Dad' passed today. Words can't explain my sadness. I will never know why a Hall of Famer took a fat, lazy kid from Auburn and treated him like a son and got him in shape and made him a player,” Barkley said in a statement, reports CBS Sports.

Malone averaged an NBA career double-double 20.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, while playing for eight teams over 20 seasons, leading the league in rebounding six times. His 16,212 rebounds still rank fifth on the NBA’s all-time list, while his 27,409 career points rank eighth. Malone’s death came shortly after the death of another 76er centre Darryl Dawkins.

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