Lawrence Moten, Syracuse University’s all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball, was found dead at his home in Washington, D.C., on September 30, 2025. He was 53.
His daughter, Lawrencia Moten, confirmed the news to Syracuse.com. Officials from Syracuse University also verified his death, with several staff members learning about it through various sources. The cause of death has not been revealed.
Moten, a 6-foot-5-inch guard and forward, was known as “Poetry in Moten” for his smooth playing style. He scored 2,334 points during his four years with the Orange from 1991 to 1995, a record that still stands. He averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game over 121 games, scoring in double figures in 118 of them. He remains the only Syracuse player to score at least 500 points in four consecutive seasons.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Moten attended Archbishop Carroll High School before spending a year at New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He joined Syracuse in 1991 and made an immediate impact, becoming the first freshman to score 500 points in a season. He was named Big East Rookie of the Year and earned Third Team All-Big East honors, averaging 18.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the 1991-92 season. In that year, Syracuse secured the Big East Tournament Championship with a 56-54 win over Georgetown.
In his sophomore year, Moten averaged 17.9 points and 4.8 rebounds, becoming the third Syracuse player to reach 1,000 career points in fewer than two seasons. He received First Team All-Big East recognition. Despite NCAA sanctions leading to a one-year postseason ban, Syracuse returned to the NCAA Tournament in the 1993-94 season, finishing with a 23-7 record and two postseason wins. Moten averaged a career-high 21.5 points that season, scoring in double digits in all 30 games.
Moten finished his Syracuse career in 1995 with third-team All-American recognition from the Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He earned First Team All-Big East honors for the third consecutive year and broke the school’s career scoring record, previously held by Derrick Coleman. He also led the Big East in career scoring with 1,405 points, a record that stood for 25 years until Markus Howard of Marquette surpassed him in February 2020. Upon Howard breaking the record, Moten stated, “Records are made to be broken.”
Jim Boeheim, Moten’s Hall of Fame coach, described him as “one of the most underrated college basketball players of all time.” Boeheim remarked that people underestimated Moten’s ability because of how effortlessly he played, emphasizing that Moten was one of Syracuse’s greatest players and one of the best in Big East Conference history.
Adrian Autry, a former teammate of Moten for three seasons at Syracuse and successor to Boeheim as head coach in 2023, expressed his sorrow over the loss. Autry said he couldn’t think of “anybody that was more positive” or who loved Syracuse more than Moten. He added that Moten was one of the greatest to wear the uniform and that it was a significant loss. Autry cherished the opportunity to play alongside him for three years and witness his remarkable performances both on and off the court.
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack referred to Moten as a Syracuse icon. Wildhack said Moten’s achievements as the program’s all-time leading scorer and holding the Big East scoring record for 25 years are self-explanatory, but his “style of play is what energized the Dome.” He noted that Moten remained a prominent figure around the program long after his playing days, always with a smile.
The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Moten in the second round of the 1995 NBA Draft as the 36th overall pick, making him the second draft pick in the franchise’s history after Bryant Reeves. He played in 111 games over two seasons with the Grizzlies before leaving the NBA in 1997 when the team did not re-sign him. Moten later played in Greece and various minor leagues, then returned to the NBA in February 1998, signing two 10-day contracts with the Washington Wizards and appearing in eight games.
During his three NBA seasons, Moten averaged 6.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. After his NBA career, he played professionally in Spain and Venezuela. He was part of the Continental Basketball Association and American Basketball Association until 2006, earning two ABA All-Star selections in 2005 and 2006 with the Maryland Nighthawks.
After his playing career, Moten transitioned into coaching and youth development. He became vice president of player development for the ABA’s Maryland Nighthawks. He later served as head coach of the Rochester Razorsharks in the Premier Basketball League, leading them to a championship with a 17-1 record in 2014. The following year, he accepted a position as assistant coach at Gallaudet University, a Division III school in Washington, D.C., for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.
In 2019, Moten began working at Clary Middle School in Syracuse, New York, mentoring students in the Syracuse City School District. By June 2025, he returned to his hometown to serve as general manager for the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Digital Pioneers Academy, a public charter school in Washington, D.C. He started in this role in July.
During the 1999-2000 season, Moten was one of 25 players honored on the Syracuse All-Century Team. His No. 21 jersey was retired by Syracuse University in a pregame ceremony on March 3, 2018, at the Carrier Dome, making him one of the select Syracuse players to have their jersey displayed in the Dome’s rafters.
Moten is survived by his wife, Noelene, and their two daughters, Lawrencia and Leilani. Lawrencia Moten serves as a color and play-by-play commentator for college sports games on HBCU Go and as a sideline reporter at Liberty University.