The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but it is being reported by FOX26 that Malone suffered recent heart issues.
Malone who played most notably with the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers was seen as quite the pioneer when it came to the sport of basketball. He was the first player to get drafted from the NBA straight out of highschool, and as we now know he would eventually be followed by the likes of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and about 38 other players.
Still today, Malone’s career points ranks eighth best of all time with 27,409 and his very notable rebounding still ranks 5th best of all time with 16,212. In fact Mr. Malone, who led the league in rebounding, earned himself the nickname “Chairman of the Boards” because of dominance at the backboard.
Malone was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2001, and was one the NBA’s famous ’50 greatest players.’
