Former Vancouver Grizzlies player Lawrence Moten dead at 53
A memorable former Vancouver Grizzlies player has died.
Lawrence Moten, who was an original member of the Grizzlies NBA team that debuted in Vancouver in 1995, was found dead in his Washington, D.C. home on Tuesday. Moten’s daughter, Lawrencia Moten, confirmed the tragic news to Syracuse.com.
The former Grizzlies player was just 53 years old.
Moten was drafted by Vancouver in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft, 36th overall. That’s the same draft that the Grizzlies selected Bryant “Big Country” Reeves with the sixth overall pick.
Moten is widely viewed as one of the greatest players in Syracuse University basketball history.
With the nickname “Poetry in Moten” and high socks, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was a memorable figure in the Grizzlies’ six-year history in Vancouver.
Lawrence Moten during his Vancouver Grizzlies days (NBA)
Moten played in each of the Grizzlies’ first two seasons in Vancouver, in 1995-96 and 1996-97, before moving on to his hometown team, the Washington Wizards. Following a three-year stint in the NBA, Moten played on a number of other pro teams in other leagues.
Following retirement from professional basketball in 2006, Moten worked with youth groups within the Syracuse city school district.
“I appreciate teaching and motivating these youths,” Moten said in an interview with Daily Orange in 2018. “It’s important because I remember being in the Boys & Girls Clubs when I was… a little kid in Washington, my grandmother supporting me. It made me question, ‘Do I really love this game? Basketball? What do I want to be in life?’ You have to see yourself doing well.”
In June, Moten took a job as general manager of the Digital Pioneers high school basketball programs in Washington, D.C.