Community Icon: LeVelle Moton

 The NC Central basketball legend has made a career out of giving back.

LeVelle Moton is never too far from Raleigh—literally or figuratively.

He may live and work in Durham, but his presence is engrained into Oak City’s roots—in the towering mural Downtown, and in the bust outside the park bearing his name on Lane Street. 

But the longtime North Carolina Central University men’s basketball coach is more than a fixture cast in paint and bronze. He’s a living, active thread in the fabric of the city that raised him.

A Raleigh native by way of Boston’s Orchard Park, “Coach Mo” has made a career out of giving back as much as he’s achieved, turning his commitment to the places and people who lifted him up into a year-round mission.

Every August, the 1992 Enloe High School graduate brings his Eagles from Durham to the Boys & Girls Club on Raleigh Boulevard—the same place where he once spent his days playing basketball, baseball and football under the guidance of legendary director Ron Williams—with a renewed purpose.

Alongside Raleigh native and NBA champion P.J. Tucker, Moton opens the doors for his annual Back-to-School Community Day, giving away book bags, school supplies, free haircuts and a day of relief for families preparing for the school year.

For Moton, it’s a passion project. He hasn’t forgotten the people—and the neighborhood—that poured into him, and now he’s pouring back. 

Raised by a single mother alongside his older brother, Moton also makes a point to honor women—like his mother—whose sacrifices often go unseen. 

Through the VelleCares Foundation, his annual Salute to Single Mothers celebrates moms across the Triangle, inspired by his own upbringing. Each fall, hundreds of mothers gather for an evening of recognition, complete with a five-star dinner and gifts—an experience designed to give back a fraction of what they give every day.

Moton’s generosity can also be seen in the housing sector: In 2022, he cofounded Raleigh Raised Development, an initiative focused on creating affordable housing in Southeast Raleigh, not far from where his own story began. 

All told, for all Moton has accomplished—conference titles, NCAA tournament appearances and national respect—his legacy in Raleigh is being built in quieter, more meaningful ways. After all, not all heroes wear capes.