Former NBA player and North Carolina basketball legend Eric Montross has died at the age of 51 after a brief battle with cancer.
The heartbreaking news was revealed by UNC Basketball on Monday morning, nine months after his cancer diagnosis was first revealed.
Tributes immediately started pouring in for the Indiana native, who was a first-round NBA draft pick by the Boston Celtics in 1994.
“The family of Eric Montross (Laura, Sarah, Andrew and Megan) announces that he passed away on Sunday, December 17, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Chapel Hill,” the statement began.
“Eric was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023, and his family is grateful for the outpouring of support and the truly overwhelming love expressed by so many people as he battled with his trademark determination and grace.
Eric Montross has died at the age of 51 from cancer, it has been announced
The news was announced by UNC Basketball, with the family thanking fans for their support
Montross (L, pictured with the Dallas Mavericks in 1997) played for six different NBA teams
“They also thank the many members of the medical community – and especially those at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center – who fought his battle with equal passion.
“Knowing Eric would be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples of the generous, thoughtful way he lived his life will live on in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and genuine kindness.
‘The family requests privacy during this difficult period.’
Montross was a radio analyst for UNC men’s basketball games from 2015 to 2023.
The 7-foot-10 Indianapolis native played four seasons for legendary head coach Dean Smith from 1990 to 1994 and was a key member of the 1993 national championship team.
On
Another said: ‘Eric Montross was a great man. I went to his basketball camp growing up. I was just one of hundreds of campers. But I walked up to him at UNC games to say hi, and he remembered my name, remembered things about me and asked how I was doing.”
Montross – a 7-foot center in his playing days – was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1994
Montross is pictured with the 1992 U.S. national team at a camp in La Jolla, California
He was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and a consensus second-team All-America as a junior and second-team All-ACC and consensus second-team All-America selection, including Academic All-American, as a senior.
In 139 games (105 starts), Montross averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He shot 58.5 percent from the field.
The Boston Celtics selected him ninth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft.
He averaged 4.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 465 games (288 starts) during an eight-year career playing for the Celtics (1994-96), Dallas Mavericks (1996-97), then-New Jersey Nets (1997), Philadelphia 76ers (1997), Detroit Pistons (1997-2001) and Toronto Raptors (2001-02).
