To say that Moses Eugene Malone was one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen is pretty much correct.
To better understand the impact and the excitement that this All-Pro center had on the NBA one needs only to take a stroll down Memory Lane. Moses Malone, who did not have the benefit of the big time college basketball experience, still found a way to dominate most of the games in which he started.
Number One or Two Draft Pick
It is a certainty that Moses Malone would have been the number one or two draft pick after his senior year of high school since he was that good even that young.
This is attributable to Malone’s middle-class working-hard parents that were said to have showered love and support as well as a good dose of discipline to their tallest offspring.
Moses Malone dominated the high school basketball scene throughout his career and could score at will against most of the opponents who had to face this man-child. Moses Malone was a household name before he was a junior in high school.
Born: 3/23/55 in Petersburg, VA
High School: Petersburg (VA)
Drafted: ABA’s Utah Stars (1974)
Height: 6-10
Weight: 230 lbs.
Moses Malone made the quantum leap from high school directly to the professional ranks of the ABA then on to the NBA and made it look easy. Anyone who has ever picked up a basketball and even played a game of 21 knows that the sport is far from easy.
Coming from a very good area of Virginia for high school basketball certainly assisted and benefited the then very young Moses in his development in the sport of basketball. It was this tenacity and the perseverance of an undersized at times center that propelled this perennial All-Pro NBA player throughout his career.
Third-Leading Rebounder and Sixth-Leading Scorer
Moses Malone finished his ABA/NBA career as the third-leading rebounder and sixth-leading scorer in combined NBA/ABA history. Malone was honored in 1996-97 as a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. That’s one of the most desired placements of any NBA player especially the ones that have achieved so much during their NBA careers such as Malone.
Houston Rockets Philadelphia 76ers Milwaukee BucksThe NBA teams that Moses Malone played for were the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks. His ABA career started out what the San Diego Rockets and then conveniently transferred to the City of Houston, Texas as the entire San Diego Rockets franchise transitioned from the ABA to the NBA.
The interesting characteristic of Moses Malone’s career other than the obvious with performance on the court was his wonderful ability to dominate the center lane against any giant center.
It was always a great pleasure to watch Moses Malone battle against the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who of course not only was a perennial All Star but had 4 inches on Malone. The battles were to the wire and a great show! Moses Malone was the NBA’s MVP in 1979 and won an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
In 2001, Malone was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Please have a look at the career statistics for one of the greatest centers ever to grace the professional ranks of the NBA. The key component of this fantastic career of Moses Malone is perseverance and an unrelenting ferocity when it came to scoring and rebounding.
Honors
Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001); NBA champion (1983); NBA Finals MVP (1983); NBA MVP (1979, ’82, ’83); All-NBA First Team (1979, ’82, ’83, ’85); All-NBA Second Team (1980, ’81, ’84, ’87); All-Defensive First Team (1983); All-Defensive Second Team (1979); 12-time All-Star; One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).