Former NBA player and North Carolina basketball star Eric Montross died of cancer on Sunday at age 52. “To know Eric was to be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples from the generous, thoughtful way that he lived his life will continue in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and sincere kindness,” his family said in a statement Monday. Montross started his basketball career at UNC, where he led the team to the 1993 national championships. In his eight-year NBA career, Montross played for the Boston Celtics, the Dallas Mavericks, the New Jersey Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors. He began cancer treatment in March.