Syracuse scoring legend Lawrence Moten dies at 53
syracuse-scoring-legend-lawrence-moten-dies-53
Lawrence Moten, the highest-scoring men’s basketball player in Syracuse University history, died Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C., the school announced. He was 53. The cause of death has not been determined.
Moten, a 6-foot-5 guard nicknamed “Poetry in Moten,” amassed 2,334 points from 1991 to 1995. His 1,405 points in Big East games stood as a conference record until 2020.
“It’s a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family,” Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim said. “He was one of our greatest players and one of the best in Big East history.”
As a sophomore, junior and senior, Moten helped the Orange reach the NCAA tournament. Syracuse retired his No. 21 jersey on March 3, 2018.
Adrian Autry, Moten’s teammate for three seasons and Syracuse’s head coach since 2023, called him “one of the greatest to put on the uniform.”
“I can’t think of anybody more positive or who loved Syracuse more,” Autry said.
Athletic director John Wildhack described Moten as “a Syracuse icon” whose “style of play energized the Dome.”
The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Moten in the second round of the 1995 NBA draft. He played two seasons with the Grizzlies and appeared in eight games for the Washington Wizards in 1998.
Syracuse officials said multiple staff members learned of Moten’s death through various contacts before confirming the news.
Source: ESPN
