Former faculty {and professional} basketball participant Eric Montross died over the weekend after a 9-month battle with most cancers, his household introduced Monday.
Montross, finest recognized for his prolific basketball profession on the College of North Carolina, died at age 52 on Sunday “surrounded by family members at his residence in Chapel Hill,” his household stated in an announcement launched by the college.
“To know Eric was to be his good friend, and the household is aware of that the ripples from the beneficiant, considerate method that he lived his life will proceed within the lives of the many individuals he touched together with his deep and honest kindness,” his household continued.
JOHN RUTHROFF/AFP through Getty Pictures
Montross was finest recognized for incomes All-American honors throughout his junior and senior seasons ― a recognition as being top-of-the-line faculty basketball gamers within the nation ― when he led UNC to the nationwide championships in 1993 and 1994. He began 105 video games in his 4 seasons there, averaging 11.7 factors per recreation, in line with The Athletic.
He went on to play eight seasons within the NBA, taking part in for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. He introduced his retirement in 2003 resulting from a foot harm.
He went on to function an analyst for the Tar Heel Sports activities Community for 18 seasons earlier than stepping away this yr.
“I’ve had the nice fortune of having the ability to come again and be round this program once more as an analyst, and for me, to look again and be part of it has been nice,” Montross stated in a post-game interview in 2010. “As you permit you begin to understand simply how a lot enjoyable you had right here and what success you had and the way that’s not the way it all the time goes.”
His household announced his most cancers prognosis in March and stated he was receiving therapy on the UNC Lineberger Most cancers Middle.
David E. Klutho through Getty Pictures
“Your assist is greater than appreciated; it’s welcomed as a mandatory a part of beating most cancers sooner or later at a time,” they stated in an announcement. “Our household is coping with Eric’s prognosis head-on ― the one method we all know how.”
Montross performed for UNC beneath famend coach Dean Smith, whose legacy contains bringing on the crew’s first Black participant. Through the summer season of 2020, when Black Lives Matter protests exploded throughout the nation in response to the killing of George Floyd, Montross spoke out about the necessity to finish police brutality towards Black individuals and for white People to acknowledge their privilege.
“It wasn’t that I ever thought in another way of somebody whose pores and skin shade was totally different than me, however I perhaps didn’t have my eyes open as huge as I ought to have,” he informed Sports activities Illustrated on the time.
“So lots of my buddies aren’t white males. And so lots of my teammates aren’t white males. Lots of the individuals I name my finest teammates, and I name my finest buddies don’t seem like me,” he continued. “There are individuals who I deeply, deeply respect who don’t seem like me. I feel that we simply have a possibility now as a nation and drill right down to your family, neighborhood, group, state, and nation.”