Jane Njoku

Chris Mortensen, an NFL reporter who has been with the network for over three decades, died on Sunday morning, at the age of 72, ESPN announced.

“Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hard-working teammate,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Mortensen, who was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer in 2016, announced his choice to step away from ESPN ahead of the 2023 season  “to focus on my health, family and faith.” His decision was revealed after he covered the 33rd NFL draft.

Joining ESPN in 1991, Mortensen played a crucial role in the network’s year-round coverage of the NFL reporting and regularly broke NFL news while making routine appearances on multiple flagship shows, such as “NFL Insiders,” “NFL Live,” “Sunday NFL Countdown,” “Monday Night Countdown” and “Outside The Lines.”

“It’s a sad day for everyone in the NFL,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “I admired how hard Chris worked to become one of the most influential and revered reporters in sports. He earned our respect and that of many others with his relentless pursuit of news but also the kindness he extended to everyone he met. He will be greatly missed by many of us in the league who were fortunate to know him well beyond the stories he broke each Sunday. We send our condolences to his family, his colleagues and the many people Chris touched throughout his well-lived life.”

In 2016, the Professional Football Writers of America chose him as the McCann Award Winner, inducting him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mortensen began his journalism career at the South Bay (Calif) after he graduated from El Camino College. The Army veteran joined Daily Breeze in 1969, which covered his native hometown Torrance, Calf. He worked at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1983 to 1990 and was awarded the coveted George Polk Award in 1987 for his reporting. Mortensen also wrote for The National and had a column in The Sporting News before joining ESPN.

It was in ESPN that Chris Mortensen helped to change the nationwide coverage of the NFL forever and grew the game for over three decades.

The Philadelphia 76ers will hold a sculpture unveiling ceremony on Friday, April 12 at Penn Medicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex to honour Allen Iverson. Regarded as one of the most decorated athletes to ever play in the NBA, Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and was crowned the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2001. The ceremony commemorates the 10th anniversary of Iverson’s No.3 being retired by the club.

Named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 1997, Iverson spent his first 12 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, after they selected him as the No.1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Allen received the title of All-Star 11 times, seven All-NBA selections, was a four-time NBA scoring champion, and led the league in steals on three occasions. Iverson, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, played his last NBA season with the 76ers in 2010.

When he was MVP in 2000-01, Iverson averaged 31.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals in 41.9 minutes per game, leading the league in points and steals per game. Iverson has the ninth-highest scoring average in NBA history (26.7) and owns the third-highest scoring average in playoff history (29.7), trailing only Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Dallas’ Luka Dončić. Allen led in steals in three consecutive seasons (2000-03) and ranks eight in NBA history in steals per game (2.17).

Throughout Iverson’s career with the Philadelphia 76ers, he helped the club reach the playoffs six times, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2001. When he was with the team, he gathered 27.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.3 steals in 41.4 minutes per game.

Allen was crowned an NBA All-Star in seven consecutive seasons from 2000-06 while being named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2001 and 2005.

As one of the most legendary Philadelphia players of all time, Iverson is in the top five in franchise history in total three-pointers made (first), points (second), steals (second), free throws made (second), minutes played (second), field goals made (third), and assists (third). Allen’s total points (19,931) as a 76ers is rivalled only by Hall of Famer Hal Greer (21,586). In 1996-97, he set rookie franchise records in total points (1,787), field goals made (625), and three-point field goals (155). He also holds the franchise record for all-time 30-point games (303) and 40-point games (76) while ranking second in all-time 50-point games (10), behind just Wilt Chamberlain (11).

“Allen Iverson is one of the greatest 76ers to ever live and one of the most iconic players in the history of the NBA, and we’re thrilled to honour his accomplishments with a well-deserved sculpture on Legends Walk,” Josh Harris and David Blitzer said. “Paying homage to the legends who paved the way for our franchise is not only the right thing to do; it’s an incredible source of inspiration for current and future generations of 76ers players and staff who enter our Training Complex every day, as well as kids in the city of Philadelphia and at large. We look forward to celebrating Allen’s legacy on April 12.”

Iverson’s statue will stand at the 76ers Legends Walk alongside other 76ers legends Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Cheeks, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Hal Greer, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Dolph Schayes mounted at the Penn Medicine Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex.

“It’s always an honour to contribute to 76ers Legends Walk and continually helps bring history to life for such a storied franchise,” sculptor Chad Fisher said. “Allen Iverson was a game-changer, a true 76er who every Philadelphian worshipped, and I’m thrilled to unveil a sculpture of the MVP.”