UNC Basketball Great Eric Montross Dies at 52

The family of former North Carolina great Eric Montross announced Monday that the former Tar Heels center and NBA veteran died Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 52. 

He was surrounded by loved ones at his home at the time of his death. Montross was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023. 

“Carolina Athletics, the Tar Heel basketball family and the entire University community are profoundly saddened and stunned by the loss of Eric Montross, one of our most beloved former student-athletes, at far too young an age,” a statement from the North Carolina athletic department read. “Eric was a great player and accomplished student, but the impacts he made on our community went way beyond the basketball court. He was a man of faith, a tremendous father, husband and son, and one of the most recognizable ambassadors of the University and Chapel Hill.”

Eric Montross won a national championship at North Carolina and went on to enjoy a nine-season NBA career.

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Montross spent four years with the Tar Heels, winning a national title in 1993. After a decorated collegiate career that included back-to-back second-team All-America honors, he was selected with the No. 9 pick in the 1994 NBA draft by the Celtics. He played for six different NBA franchises during his nine-year professional career before retiring in August 2003. 

Montross went on to work as an analyst on the Tar Heel Sports Network for 18 seasons until he stepped away this season.