Three-time NBA MVP and NBA champion Moses Malone passed away early Monday. He was 60 years young.

"We are deeply stunned and saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Moses Malone, an NBA legend gone far too soon," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a league statement. "Known to legion of fans as the "Chairman of the Boards,' Moses competed with intensity every time he stepped on the court. With three MVPs and an NBA championship, he was among the most dominant centers ever to play the game and one of the best players in history of the NBA and ABA."

Even more than his prodigious talent, we will miss his friendship, his generosity, his exuberant personality, and the extraordinary work ethic he brought to the game throughout his 21-year pro career," Silver wrote. "Out thoughts are with Moses' family and friends during this difficult time."

Max Berman of FOX 26 in Houston reported that according to Calvin Murphy, former NBA player and close friend of Malone, the legendary center passed way in Norfolk, Va. from an apparent heart attack.

"Calvin Murphy says Moses Malone died this morning in his sleep in Norfolk, CA where the two Hall of Famers were to play in a golf tournament."

As noted by Ball Don't Lie, the added shock from Malone's sudden passing comes from the fact that he attended this past weekend's induction ceremonies for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2015.

Malone was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He was one of the first players to go straight from high school to the pros after deciding to skip attending the University of Maryland to join the ABA's Utah Stars, which drafted him in the third round of the 1974 ABA Draft.

In 21 seasons as a pro, Malone averaged 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds in 1,455 games. As pointed out by Ball Don't Lie, he stands as one of just four players in NBA history to amass more than 25,000 points and 15,000 rebounds along fellow legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Elvin Hayes.