Lawrence Moten Dies at Age 53, Syracuse MCBB's All-Time Leading Scorer

Syracuse basketball legend Lawrence Moten died Tuesday at age 53, his daughter Lawrencia confirmed to Syracuse.com's Mike Waters.

Moten set the career scoring record for Syracuse by racking up 3,334 points for the program from 1991 to 1995.

He played in the NBA from 1995 to 1998 for the then-Vancouver Grizzlies and Washington Wizards, and then competed professionally in Spain and Venezuela.

Moten had been hired as basketball general manager for the Washington D.C. public charter school Digital Pioneers Academy in June.

He was expected to help connect athletes to recruits and NIL opportunities in his new role, per Matt Cohen of the Washington Post.

Moten averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game through his four seasons with Syracuse.

The Orange served a one-year NCAA tournament ban during Moten's tenure, but the team still went to three NCAA tournaments and won the 1992 Big East Tournament title with Moten.

Moten had established himself as an icon of Syracuse basketball for his high socks and his nickname Poetry in Moten by the time he graduated with a degree in early childhood education (h/t Cohen).

His No. 21 was retired by Syracuse in 2018. He remained the Big East's leading scorer until Marquette's Markus Howard passed him in 2020.

Moten's career later took him to the Premier Basketball League, where he coached the Rochester RazorSharks in 2014.

Moten also previously worked as an assistant coach at Gallaudet, a Division III school in Washington D.C. for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing, and worked with youth programs in Syracuse schools after his playing career.

He and his wife Noelene had two daughters, Lawrencia and Leilani.