Basketball Hall Of Famer Moses Malone Dead At 60

NORFOLK, Va. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Moses Malone, a three-time NBA MVP and one of basketball's most ferocious rebounders, died Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers said Sunday. He was 60.

The 76ers issued a statement that Malone had died, but did not immediately provide a cause of death. According to multiple published reports, Moses died Sunday morning in his sleep in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was set to participate in an event.

Malone was part of the 76ers' 1983 NBA championship team, and the club said he will "forever be remembered as a genuine icon and pillar of the most storied era in the history of Philadelphia 76ers basketball."

A 6-foot-10 center who made the leap right from high school to the pros, Malone is the NBA's career leader in offensive rebounds and led the league in rebounds per game for five straight seasons from 1980-85.

Malone was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and attended the induction ceremonies for the year's class in Springfield, Massachusetts, this weekend.

He was voted MVP after the 1978-79 and 1981-82 seasons with the Houston Rockets and again following the 1982-83 season with the 76ers.

"We are stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Moses Malone, an NBA legend gone far too soon," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "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 a little more than two weeks after another 76ers great, Darryl Dawkins, died of a heart attack at 58.

The basketball world quickly reacted to the news of Malone's death Sunday on social media.

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