Lawrence Moten, Syracuse B-Ball & Sneaker Legend, Dead At 53

Lawrence Moten, Syracuse basketball’s all-time leading scorer, a former NBA player and a sneakerhead inspiration, has passed away. He was 53.

Syracuse.com reports that his death was confirmed by his daughter, Lawrencia. Reportedly, he was found dead in his Washington D.C. home on Tuesday, Sept. 30. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Moten was a buttery-smooth shooting guard who led Syracuse in scoring for three seasons, and remains the schools all-time leading scorer with 2,334 career points. In his debut season he averaged 18.2 points per game, which earned him Big East Rookie of the Year honors for the 1991-1992 season. Over his four-year Syracuse career, he averaged 19.3 points per game.

Nicknamed Poetry In Moten, the high scorer quickly became a fan favorite for his exploits on the court, and for sneakerheads, what he rocked on his feet. Moten stood out on court thanks to trademark knee-high socks and baggy shorts, a familiar aesthetic for ball players from the Washington DC Metro area. When you look at photos from his playing days, the DC native was wearing nothing but heat — Nike Air Force Max and Nike Air Max 2 CB 94’s were just a couple of the models he wore while routinely cooking the comp.

After a short cup of coffee in the NBA, Moten contributed to basketball via coaching in the Syracuse area before just recenltly retrning to his native DC. Rest in powerful peace Lawrence Moten. Peep some photos and clips of him in action below.