Moses Malone

At 60 years old, Moses Malone has this physical status:

Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995.

A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection.

Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001. Malone began his professional career out of high school after he was selected in the third round of the 1974 ABA Draft by the Utah Stars.

He was named an ABA All-Star as a rookie and played two seasons in the league until it merged with the NBA in 1976.

He landed in the NBA with the Buffalo Braves, who traded him after two games to the Houston Rockets.

Malone became a five-time All-Star in six seasons with the Rockets.

After leading the NBA in rebounding in 1979, he was named league MVP for the first time.

He led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, and won his second MVP award in 1982.

Traded to Philadelphia the following season, he repeated as MVP and led the 76ers to the 1983 championship.

In his first of two stints with Philadelphia, he was an All-Star in each of his four seasons.

Following another trade, Malone was an All-Star in his only two seasons with the then Washington Bullets (today's Wizards).

He signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, earning his 12th straight and final NBA All-Star selection in his first season.

In his later years, he played with the Milwaukee Bucks before returning to the 76ers and completing his career with the San Antonio Spurs. Malone was a tireless and physical player who led the NBA in rebounding six times, including a then-record five straight seasons (1981–1985).

Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Boards" for his rebounding prowess, he finished his career as the all-time leader in offensive rebounds after leading both the ABA and NBA in the category a combined nine times.

Combining his ABA and NBA statistics, Malone ranks ninth all-time in career points (29,580) and third in total rebounds (17,834).

He was named to both the ABA All-Time Team and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Early life

Malone was born in Petersburg, Virginia. He was an only child, raised primarily by his mother, Mary, who had dropped out of school after finishing the fifth grade. When Malone was two years old, Mary forced her husband to move out of their home due to his alcohol use. Malone's father then moved to Texas.

Malone attended Petersburg High School, where he played basketball for the school's Crimson Wave. The team went undefeated in his final two years, winning 50 games and back-to-back Virginia state championships. Malone signed a letter of intent to play college basketball for the University of Maryland under head coach Lefty Driesell.

Personal life

Malone and his wife, Alfreda Gill, had two sons, Moses Eugene Jr. and Michael Malone. Alfreda sued for divorce in September 1991, on the grounds of irreconcilable differences, cruelty, and adultery. She got a restraining order in June 1992, ordering Malone to refrain from contact with her during the course of the lawsuit. At that time, Malone denied allegations that he abused his wife or threatened to kill her. The divorce was granted in October 1992.

In January 1993, Malone was arrested driving in Galveston, Texas, across Galveston Bay from his former wife's home, for having violated a peace bond Alfreda had obtained. Her affidavit for its issuance alleged that Malone had stalked her, illegally entered her home in League City, Texas, damaged her property and threatened to kill her. Malone posted bail and was released.

Malone dated Leah Nash, whom he had met in 2006, though they did not marry nor live together. They had a son, Micah Francois Malone, who was six years old at the time of Malone's death.

Malone died in his sleep from heart disease at the age of 60, on the morning of September 13, 2015, at a hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. He had been scheduled to play in a charity golf tournament that day and was found unresponsive in his room when he did not appear for breakfast or answer his phone. Malone had previously complained of an irregular heartbeat and was reported to have been wearing a heart monitor when he died.

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ABA career

Malone, the third round of the 1974 NBA Draft, selected him by the Utah Stars of American Basketball Association (ABA), becoming the first professional basketball player to come straight from high school. Since signing a five-year deal worth $1 million, he began his professional career with Utah in the 1974–75 season. Malone began his pro career at 6 ft (10.08 m) and a somewhat skinny 215 pounds (98 kg) at the time, but not until he bulked up enough to deal with the rigors at center. He was named an ABA All-Star and received ABA All-Rookie awards as a rookie. During a first round loss to the Denver Nuggets in 1975, Malone averaged 22.7 points, 17.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Malone was sold by the ABA's Spirits of St. Louis to help pay down the Stars' debts, along Utah Teammates Ron Boone, Randy Denton, and Steve Green. He played for the Spirits for the remainder of the 1975–76 season, but the Spirits did not make the playoffs and finished with a 35-49 record. Malone averaged 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in two seasons in the ABA.

NBA career

The ABA–NBA merger occurred after the 1975–76 season, but the Spirits of St. Louis were not one of the ABA teams selected to join the NBA. In a December 1975 pre-merger draft for ABA players of undergraduate age, Malone had already been selected by the NBA's New Orleans Jazz. However, the NBA allowed Malone to return to the ABA Dispersal Draft pool in 1976 in exchange for the return of their first-round draft pick, which they used to trade for Gail Goodrich. Malone was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the fifth overall pick in the 1976 dispersal draft, which was reserved for the remaining ABA players.

For trading purposes, the Blazers, who had also acquired power forward Maurice Lucas in the draft, chose Malone. Malone's frontline, including Lucas, Bill Walton, and Lloyd Neal, expected that Malone would see no activity. They traded him to the Buffalo Braves ahead of his first game of the 1976–77 season for a first-round pick in the 1978 NBA draft and $232,000. Malone appeared in two games with Buffalo. Since they were unable to accommodate Malone's requests for playing time, the Houston Rockets traded him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for first-round draft picks in the 1977 and 1978 drafts.

Malone played forward for the Houston Rockets opposite Rudy Tomjanovich. He appeared in 82 games for both Buffalo and Houston, winning 13.2 points per game (ppg), ranking third in rpg) and finishing the season with 13.1 rebounds per game (rpg). Malone set a record of 437 offensive rebounds in a season, going on to smash the record two years ago. Malone's average was 2.21 shots per game, the seventh-most in the league. Malone scored 15 offensive rebounds in the overtime victory over the Washington Bullets in the second game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, setting a NBA playoff record. The Rockets qualified to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost 4–2 to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Rockets' future team.

Malone was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot, causing him to miss the final 23 games during his second season in the NBA. Despite the fact that Malone was hospitalized due to injury, he led the NBA with 380 offensive rebounds and finished second with 15.0 rpg. His scoring improved to 19.4 ppg, and it was his first appearance in a NBA All-Star Game in 1978.

After growing 15 pounds (6.8 kg) in the offseason, Malone emerged as one of the top centers in the league during the 1978-1979 season. While winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, he averaged 24.8 points with a career-best.540 shooting percentage and began a new one with a league-leading 17.6 rpg. With 587 offensive rebounds, he led the league in offensive rebounds for the second straight season. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive Second Team. In the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, he was also voted by fans to start for the East at center. He had a career-high 37 rebounds versus the New Orleans Jazz on February 9, he exploded against the New Orleans Jazz on February 9. Despite the fact that the Rockets qualified for the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in a first-round sweep. In both games, Malone had 24.5 points and 20.5 rebounds.

Malone's averaged 25.8 points, fifth best in the NBA, and 14.5 rebounds, second-best in the league, in 1979-80. He was named an All-Star for the third straight season and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team. Houston defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a best-of-three series in the first round of the playoffs. In the deciding third game, Malone scored 37 points and 20 rebounds, leading to the Rockets' victory by 141–120. The Rockets lost in a straight defeat to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.

Malone led the league in 14.8 rpg in 80 games during 1980-1991, while also a member of the All-NBA Second Team. He came in second second in scoring (28.8) to Adrian Dantley (30.7). Malone scored 51 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 11. Malone led the Rockets to the 1981 NBA Finals by scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a decisive Game 5 Western Conference Finals victory over the Kansas City Kings this postseason. Despite Malone's scoring 22.3 points, 15.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, the Rockets lost in six games to the Boston Celtics.

Houston and the Kansas City Kings tied for second position in their first season in the Midwest Division, with identical 40-42 records. Malone's averaged 31.1 points with 14.7 rebounds and was named the second MVP award in 1981-1982 during the NBA season. He ranked as the NBA leader in rebounds and was the runner-up for the league's scoring crown to George Gervin (32.3). He was also the league leader in offensive rebounds (558) and minutes played (3,398, 42.0 per game). Malone's second appearance on the All-NBA First Team came at the end of the season. On February 2, he set a career-high in scoring average and also set a single-game record record of 53 points against the San Diego Clippers. Malone's 21 offensive rebounds were eclipsed by nine days later against the Seattle SuperSonics on February 11 for his own league record. The Rockets' last season in Houston began in 1981 with a first-round exit in the 1982 playoffs. Seattle defeated Houston 2–1. Despite the fact that he averaged 24.0 points with 17.0 rebounds, he lost 2–1.

After the 1981–82 season, Malone became a restricted free agent. On September 2, 1982, he signed a six-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers came off a 4–2 loss in the Los Angeles Lakers' Finals, where their center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, overplayed their big-man rivalry of Darryl Dawkins and Caldwell Jones. The Rockets were sold, but the new owners decided that Malone's $2 million per year did not match their plans. On September 15, Houston matched the offer and decided to trade Malone to the 76ers for Jones, along with their first-round pick in the 1983 NBA draft. The Sixers stole the NBA championship from the league with Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones. Malone was named league MVP for the second year in a row, becoming the first NBA player to win the award in two seasons with two different clubs, a feat only rival Barry Bonds (1992–1993) in the four major American sports leagues.

Malone's averaged 15.3 rebounds per game, the third year in a row, and was fifth-best in the NBA. For the sixth year in a row, he was an All-Star and All-Defensive player, winning first-team awards on both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. In the 1983 NBA Finals, the 76ers won the league championship but missed just one game in the postseason, beating the Lakers 4–0. Malone averaged 26.0 points with 15.8 rebounds in 13 playoff games. He was named the Finals MVP after defeating Abdul-Jabbar 72-30 in the series. Malone started to tutor Hakeem Olajuwon, passing on the torch to the next Rockets superstar.

"Let's not make believe," Billy Cunningham, his head coach, said. Moses made the difference from last year. Malone predicted in Southern vernacular that Philadelphia would go "fo, foe," predicting a four-game sweep in each of the playoffs' three rounds. His prediction (and its formulation) became well-known: The New York Times described it as "an enduring quote" and "an unforgettable line," and Comcast SportsNet called it "one of the finest rallying cries ever uttered." The Sixers only lost one playoff game (Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks) for the first time, defeating the Knicks in the first round and the Lakers in the finals, as it transpired. "Fo' fi' fo" was inscribed inside the championship ring for the fourth year (four, five, four). The 76ers' 12–1 cruise in the 1983 playoffs was the most dominant playoff run in NBA history, at the time.

With 13.4 rpg, Malone led the league in rebounding in the 1983-84 season. Due to ankle injuries, he was limited to 71 games this season, his lowest level since the 1977–78 season. In his second season with Philadelphia, Malone earned 22.7 ppg and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, earning him a second season. Malone was re-inhibited for the All-Star Game, but he was unable to participate due to an ankle injury. He averaged 21.4 points with 13.8 rebounds in five games in the playoffs, but Philadelphia lost in a first-round upset over the New Jersey Nets, but not everyone.

In the 1984 NBA draft, the Sixers selected Charles Barkley. Malone, who was weighed in at 300 pounds (140 kg), began to mentor him, urging him to get in better shape. Barkley was born 165 pounds (116 kg) and was voted a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team. Malone's 13.1 rpg in 1984-85 season was the NBA's most successful season in a row (since being surpassed by Dennis Rodman with seven seasons). For the eighth time, he was elected by a fan vote and finished the season with 24.6 ppg, which ranked ninth-best in the league. Larry Bird won his third All-NBA First Team award and came third in the NBA Most Valuable Player Award balloting; he was named third by Larry Bird. Malone scored his 15,000th NBA point on November 28, while his 10,000th NBA return on March 29 was his on March 29. On November 14, he scored 51 points against the Detroit Pistons. In 1985, the 76ers reached the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated 4–1 by the Celtics.

In a March 28 game against the Bucks, Malone's 1985–86 season came to an end after he sustained an orbital fracture in his right eye. Despite hopes that he would return to the playoffs, he was ruled out for the postseason. Philadelphia lost 4–3 to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 74 appearances this season, Malone averaged 23.8 points with 11.8 rebounds. He ranked seventh in scoring and fourth in rebounding, snapping his five-season streak as the NBA's best rebounding champion. Malone was named an All-Star, but he was not selected to the All-NBA Team for the first time since 1978.

In exchange for Jeff Ruland and Clifford T. Robinson, Philadelphia traded Malone, Terry Catledge, and two first-round draft picks to the Washington Bullets shortly after the 1985–86 season. Malone recovered from an injury-shortened 1985-86 campaign, averaging 24.1 points with 11.3 rebounds. He was named to his tenth consecutive All-Star Game and was then named to the All-NBA Second Team for his ninth straight appearance. Malone was the only player to finish in both ppg and rpg, placing him ninth in both categories.

On April 12, Malone scored his 20,000th NBA point against the Detroit Pistons. On April 8, he scored 50 points against the New Jersey Nets, beating Earl Monroe (56) and Phil Chenier (52) as the only Bullets players to ever score 50 points in a game. Washington made it to the postseason but the Pistons defeated the Pistons in the first round. In the series, Malone averaged 20.7 points and 12.7 rebounds.

Malone ranked eighth in rebounding (11.2%) and 19th in scoring (20.3) in his 12th NBA season. In 1988, Malone was named to his 11th consecutive All-Star Game. In 76 of 79 games, Malone scored in double figures and earned 55 double-doubles for the year. In the first-round series, the Bullets qualified to the 1988 NBA Playoffs but lost 3–2 to Detroit 3–2. In the series, Malone averaged 18.6 points with 11.2 rebounds.

Malone decided to play with the Atlanta Hawks on a three-year contract prior to the 1988-1989 season. Dominique Wilkins, the Hawks, had played at least 50 games in the previous three seasons, and felt the free-agent center was a missing piece in a potential championship squad. Malone averaged 20.2 points with 11.8 rebounds in the season, becoming the first and only player in professional history to score 20 points and ten rebounds for four different franchises. He was elected by a fan vote to the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, his 12th straight and final appearance. In 75 of his 81 games, Malone scored double figures in points and accounted for double figures in rebounds five times. He scored a season-high 37 points against the Phoenix Suns on February 4, 1989. In the first round of the playoffs by Milwaukee, the Hawks were eliminated. Malone had 21.0 ppg and had 12.0 rpg in the series.

Malone's 2013 season saw 18.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg, snaping an end to a string of 11 consecutive 20-10) campaigns. With 364 offensive rebounds and tied for eighth in rpg, Malone led the NBA with 364 offensive rebounds and tied for eighth in rebounds. Atlanta finished with a 41–41 record in Mike Fratello's last year as head coach, but not enough to qualify for the playoffs. Malone was the Hawks' starting center in the 1990-1991 season, but after 15 games, Atlanta's new coach, Bob Weiss, made Jon Koncak the starter and Malone his backup for the final 67 games.

Malone averaged 10.6 points with 8.1 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game for the first time in his career while playing just 18 of 82 games during the 1990-1991 season—all career lows at that time. Malone made the NBA career leader in free throws made with 7,695, beating the previous record set by Oscar Robertson on November 3. Malone scored his 25,000th career point against the Bucks on November 21, with the Bucks. He made his 15,000th appearance against the Dallas Mavericks on March 15, his 15,000th career appearance. Malone won his first game without fouling out of a row with his 1,046th straight game against the Detroit Pistons on April 19. The Hawks returned to the playoffs, but Detroit, 3–2, had to be disqualified in the first round. Malone averaged just 4.2 points with 6.2 rebounds in the series.

Malone, a free agent after the 1990-1991 season, has signed a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Malone's first season was reported to earn $1.6 million and $2 million in the second season. Malone returned to center in 1991-92, averaging 15.6 points with 9.1 rebounds in all 82 games. He led the Bucks in rebounding and finished second in scoring, finishing second on the team. On March 27, he scored a season-high 30 points twice and grabbed 19 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics. Milwaukee posted a 31-51 record, tied for last place in the Central Division with the Charlotte Hornets.

Malone was forced to miss one session of training camp in October 1992 due to a herniated disc in his back. He had surgery in November after battling the pain, and was deciding to have surgery. Malone missed the majority of the 1992–93 season due to his recovery from the surgery. On March 27, he returned to the Bucks after playing in 11 games during the remainder of the season. The Bucks finished 28-54 and last in the Central Division, with the younger players on their roster.

In August, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Malone as a free agent, meaning he could act as a backup and mentor to 7-foot (6.29 m) rookie Shawn Bradley. Malone was a reserve for the 76ers in 55 games, scoring 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Malone was signed by the San Antonio Spurs in 1994, where he was used as a back-up center to David Robinson. He was his last in the NBA, and at that point, he was the only living former NBA player at that time. He made a buzzer-beating three-point shot against the Charlotte Hornets in his last game of his NBA career, 74 feet (23 meters) away from the basket. He appeared in 17 games for the Spurs.

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Awards and honors

• 1983 NBA champion
• 1983 NBA Finals MVP
• 3× NBA MVP
• 13× All-Star (1 ABA, 12 NBA)
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2001)
• No. 2 retired by the Philadelphia 76ers
• No. 24 retired by the Houston Rockets
• NBA 50th Anniversary Team (1996)
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)