Patrick Causey, on Twitter @InsdeTheHuddle
Sad news to report as the Philadelphia 76ers lost another legendary member of their family. NBA Champion Moses Malone is reportedly dead at 60:
THIS JUST IN: Three-time NBA MVP and Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone dies at age of 60. pic.twitter.com/6v61xV7mbj
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2015
Malone, known as the "Chairman of the Boards" came to the 76ers as a free agent after the 1982 NBA season. Teamed with Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Mo Cheeks, the Malone led the 76ers to an NBA best 67-15 record. Malone won his second straight league MVP in 1983, averaging 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.
Malone infamously declared that the Sixers would go "Fo, Fo, Fo" in the playoffs. While he was close — the Sixers went 12-1 — they capped off a dominating season by sweeping the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Malone won the NBA Finals MVP, averaging 26 points and 15.8 rebounds per game.
Shockingly, the Sixers traded Malone after the 1985-86 NBA season, along with Terry Catledge and two first-round draft choices, to the Washington Bullets for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson. The trade robbed the 76ers of the opportunity to team Malone up with Dr. J and Charles Barkley. It will go down as one of the worst trades in Philadelphia sports history, a trade which the Sixers never recovered from.
Malone was voted one of the 50 Best Players in NBA History, was a three-time NBA MVP, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Malone's passing comes just weeks after another famous Sixer, Daryl Dawkins, passed away.
