Moses Malone (born March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia) is a retired former American professional basketball player who plays as a center. In 1974, Moses Malone signed with the ABA Utah Star after graduating from high school and began his career. Played two seasons at the ABA and was named to the ABA All-Star Team in 1975. After the ABA was acquired by the NBA in 1976, he spent another 19 seasons in the NBA, becoming the first high school player to enter the NBA. Moses Malone played in the NBA for the Braves (now the Clippers), the Rockets, the 76ers, the Bullets (now the Wizards), the Hawks, and the Spurs.
Career
Rockets: "In the 1975-76 season, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the St. Louis Spirits were the only ABA teams that did not join the NBA. At the ABA Player Disband Draft on August 5 of that year, Malone was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 5th pick in the first round. Malone, 21, did not play for the Blazers, who sent him to the Buffalo Braves before the start of the 1976-77 season in exchange for a first-round pick in 1978. Even so, that's not the end of it, after playing only 2 games for the Warriors, he was sent to the Houston Rockets by the team, and the Warriors got two future draft picks.
In Houston, Malone found his home. Rockets coach Tom Nisark was his coach when he was on the ABA Utah Star. Malone quickly found his place in the Rockets and showed one of the league's top rebounding abilities, especially in the frontcourt rebounding. That season, he played in 82 games, averaging 13.2 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. His rebounding average is only third in the league after Bill Walton and Abdul-Jabbar. His frontcourt rebounding record also broke the league's single-season record, grabbing 437 frontcourt rebounds, which was previously held by Paul Silas's 365 (Malone broke the record he set that year two years later). Malone is ranked 7th in the league with an average of 2.21 blocks per game. Malone's excellent performance helped the team pass the barrier and reached the Eastern Conference Finals. There, though, they lost to the more sophisticated 76ers. Malone played in 12 playoff games, averaging 18.8 points and 16.9 rebounds per game. In game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Bullets, the team won in overtime, and Malone set a playoff record with 15 frontcourt rebounds in a single game.
Malone's second NBA season in 1977-78 ended prematurely due to a stress fracture in his right foot, so he missed the Rockets' final 23 games. Still, he's the league's frontcourt rebounding champion (380) and averaging 15 rebounds per game is still second in the league, behind Leonard Robinson (15.7). In 1978, Malone competed in the All-Star Game.
Malone entered his fifth season of professional basketball in 1978–79, his third season with the Rockets and one of the best seasons of his career. Malone averaged 24.8 points and 17.6 rebounds per game, and he was awarded the regular season Most Valuable Player honor at the age of 23. With 15 pounds gained in the offseason, Malone weighed 235 pounds, which also allowed him to play well in the box. That season, Malone grabbed 587 frontcourt rebounds in a single season, the highest number of offensive rebounds a league player has grabbed in a single season. Malone is fifth on the individual scoring list, shooting a career-high of 54 percent from the field. He was named to the league's First Team of the Year and Defensive Team of the Year Second Team, and he was also the starting center in the East at the 1979 All-Star Game. He set a personal single-game rebound record against the New Orleans Jazz (now the Utah Jazz) on February 9, 1979. However, the Rockets were eliminated by the Hawks 0-2 in the first round of the playoffs, and Malone scored a total of 49 points and 41 rebounds in both games.
In 1979–80, Malone averaged 25.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, ranking fifth on the individual scoring list and behind Sven Nutt (15 rebounds per game). In addition, Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year, which was also the second consecutive year that he appeared on the stage of the All-Star Game as a starter. At the end of the season, Malone was named to the second team of the Year. Malone helped the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 2-1 in the first round with a brilliant performance, and in the fateful third game, Malone scored 37 points and 20 rebounds. However, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Rockets were swept by the Celtics.
In 1980-81, Malone regained control of the league in rebounding, and for the next four seasons, Malone managed to hold the rebounding throne. Malone played 80 games that season, averaged 14.8 rebounds per game, and was named to the second team of the year and the fourth consecutive All-Star team. That season, Malone averaged 27.8 points per game, second only to Adri Dantley (30.7). On March 11, 1981, Malone scored 51 points in a single game against the Golden State Warriors, shooting 20 of 28 from the field, including 11 of 12 free throws. The 51 points in a single game was also the third-highest score in the Rockets' history for a single player in the history of the team, with Calvin Murphy's 57 points and Elvin Hayes's 54 points ahead of him. In the Central Division, the Rockets tied for second place with the Kansas City Kings with a record of 40 wins and 42 losses. In the playoffs, Malone averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, and he led the team all the way to the Finals, but in six games they lost to the Celtics, who were led by second-year student Larry Bird.
In 1981–82, Malone averaged 31.1 points and 14.7 rebounds per game, and won the Most Valuable Player of the Year award for the second time in three years. The season's leading scorer was George Gervin, who averaged 32.3 points per game. Malone is the league number one in terms of total playing time and average playing time of the season, and he played a total of 3398 minutes and 42 minutes per game that season. In addition, Malone also grabbed 558 offensive rebounds, the highest in a single season in the league. At the end of the season, Malone was named to the first team of the year. In the Feb. 2, 1982 game against the San Diego Clippers, Malone scored 53 points in a single game, and on February 11 of the same year, against the Seattle Supersonics, Malone grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in a single game, breaking his previous personal single-game offensive rebounding record. Malone's final season with the Rockets, the Rockets made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated 2-1 by the Supersonics in the first round. Malone averaged 24 points and 17 rebounds per game in the series.
Philadelphia wins: The Rockets enter the rebuilding phase, moses Malone became a free agent in the summer of 1982, and he tested the waters of the free agent market. On September 2, 1982, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Malone, and the Rockets matched the 76ers to a contract offered to Malone, for which they were signed by Cardwell Jones and the 76ers in the 1983 first-round draft. The 76ers already had Julius Irving, Andrew Tony, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones, and Malone's addition took the team to the next level, especially as Malone could provide a strong fighting force in the team's penalty area.
In 1982–83, Malone was awarded the regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor, and he became the first player in league history to win two consecutive regular season MVPs, both of which were won on both teams. Of the four major sports in North America, Malone's record was not broken until 1993 by Barry Bonders. Malone averaged 15.3 rebounds per game, topping the league's list, and for the third consecutive year that Malone ranked first on the rebounding list. In addition, Irving can also average 21.4 points per game this season, while Tony has averaged 19.7 points per game. Malone's average of points per game slipped to 24.5 points per game, but it still ranks fifth in the league's individual scoring list. Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the sixth time in 1983, and at the end of the season he was named to the league's First Team of the Year and the League's Defensive Team of the Year First Team. On the way to the championship, the 76ers lost only one game, and in the Finals they swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0. In all 13 games in the playoffs, Malone averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds per game, and he was named the MVP of the Finals. Before the playoffs began, Malone's slogan of "fo, fo, fo" (sweeping opponents to win the championship in the playoffs) had shocked the league, and although the final result of the playoffs was "fo, fi, fo" (4-0, 4-1, 4-0), the 76ers' dominance on the court was evident. In the end, the 76ers won the championship with a record of 12 wins and 1 loss, which was second only to the Lakers in 2001 in 2001 with 15 wins and 1 loss.
Post-Championship period: In 1983-84, Malone won the league's rebounding champion honor for the fourth consecutive year, which was also the fifth time in his career, and he averaged 13.4 rebounds per game that season. However, Malone only played 71 games with injuries this season, the fewest appearances in a single season since the 1977-78 season. Even so, Malone averaged 22.7 points per game that season and was named to the league's First Team of the Year at the end of the season. Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the seventh consecutive season in 1984, but he missed the All-Star Game due to injury. In the playoffs, Malone averaged 21.4 points and 13.8 rebounds in five games, and the 76ers were eliminated by the New Jersey Nets in the first round.
In the 1984-85 season, Malone averaged 13.1 rebounds per game, and he was elected the rebounding king for the fifth consecutive season, which was also the first player in the league history to win the rebounding king for five consecutive seasons. In the 1960s, Chamberlain was twice named rebounding champion for four consecutive seasons. Malone was named to the All-Star Team for his eighth consecutive season in 1985, when he averaged 24.6 points per game (ninth in the league). At the end of the season, Malone was named to the first team of the year, which was the fourth time in his career that he received this award. Malone came in third in the regular season's Most Valuable Player selection, and the regular season MVP of the season was won by Celtics' Larry Bird. On November 28, 1984, Malone scored 15,000 career points, and on March 29, 1985, Malone grabbed his 10,000th career rebound. In the Game against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14, Malone scored 51 points in a single game. The 76ers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 1985, but were eliminated by the Celtics after five games. In the playoffs, Malone averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
The 1985–86 season, the 10th season of his career, was Malone's last season in Philadelphia. Malone injured his right eye during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 28, 1986, and he missed the team's last eight games of the season and the entire playoffs. Without Malone, the 76ers lost seven games to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In 74 games for the 76ers in 1985-86, Malone averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, ranking seventh on the scoring list and fourth on the rebounding list. The rebounding champion of the season was the Pistons' Bill Lambier (averaging 13.1 rebounds per game), the first time in six seasons. In 1986, Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the ninth time in a row, but his name was not included in the Team of the Year at the end of the season, and it was the first time since 1978 that Malone missed the Team of the Year list.
End of career
Washington: Shortly after the end of the 1985–86 season, Moses Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets, along with Terry Carterage and two first-round draft picks, with the Bullets sending Jeff Roland and Cliff Robinson.
In the 1986-87 season, Malone was in decline due to injury, still averaging 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, and was named to the league's Second Team of the Year at the end of the season. In addition, Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the 10th consecutive season of the season. On April 12, 1987, Malone scored his 20,000th career point against the Pistons, and on April 8, he scored 50 points in a single game against the Nets, becoming the third person in Bullets history to score at least 50 points in a single game, with the remaining two being Earl Monroe (56 points) and Phil Chenier (52 points). The Bullets made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Pistons in the first round. In all three games, Malone averaged 20.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.
In 1987-88, in the Bullets' second season, Malone averaged 20.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and he ranked 19th and 4th on the individual scoring and rebounding lists. Malone was named to the All-Star Game for the 11th consecutive season, and he was one of four players to reach the top 20 in the scoring list and the top 10 in rebounding that season. Malone scored in double figures in 76 of his 79 appearances, including 55 double-doubles. In 1988, the Bullets made it to the playoffs again, but were once again eliminated by the Pistons in the first round. In the five games of the series, Malone averaged 18.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
The Eagles: In the 1988-89 season, the Eagles signed free agent Malone, who still played at an All-Star level that season. Malone and Dominic Wilkins make up the Hawks' frontcourt, averaging 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game and was named to the All-Star Team for the 12th consecutive season. That season, Malone scored in double-figures in 75 of the 81 games he played, including 55 double-doubles. In a game against the Suns on February 4, 1989, Malone scored a season-high 37 points. The Hawks failed to break through the first round in the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Bucks, while Malone averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds in five games in the first round.
In 1989-90, in the Eagles' second season, Malone's average finally fell below 20+10 per game, and he averaged 18.9 points and 10 rebounds per game, failing to achieve at least 20+10 in the 11th consecutive season. However, Malone still has 20 times this season as the team's top scorer and 41 times as the team's rebounding king. Mike Flatrow managed the Hawks' final season, and they only finished with a record of 41 wins and 41 losses, the first time in five years that the team missed the playoffs.
In the 1990–91 season, Malone started his first 15 games in the center position, and when the Eagles changed managers, new coach Bobby Weiss put Malone on the bench, compressing his playing time. Despite 82 full-time appearances, Malone played only 1,912 minutes in the entire season, the first time in 15 years that he had played less than 2,000 minutes in a season. Malone averaged just 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while he averaged 23.3 minutes per game, all three of which were career lows. On November 3, 1990, against the Pacers, Malone hit his 7,695th career free throw, surpassing Oscar Robertson as the player with the most free throws in league history. In the Nov. 21 game against the Bucks, Malone scored a career 25,000 points; on March 15, 1991, he grabbed a career 15,000 rebounds against the Mavericks. The Hawks made it to the playoffs in 1991, but were eliminated by the Pistons in the first round, and Malone averaged only 4.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Playing in Milwaukee: At the end of the 1990-91 season, Malone became a free agent and the Milwaukee Bucks signed him.
In the 1991-92 season, the Bucks put Malone in the starting lineup, and he eventually averaged 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in 82 regular-season games. Malone averaged second in the team in points per game and first in rebounds per game, and malone was the team's top rebounder in 54 of the 82 regular season games in a single season. That season, Malone scored 30 points in two single games, and on March 27, 1992, during the Bucks and Supersonics, Malone grabbed 19 rebounds in a single game. The Rebuilding Bucks have a record of 31 wins and 51 losses, tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the bottom of the Central Division.
In the 1992–93 season, Malone missed most of the games due to a back injury. It wasn't until March 27, 1993, that he had his first game of the season, when Malone played just 11 games and averaged 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. In a Game of the Season against the Heat on April 12, Malone played his best game of the season, in which he played 18 minutes and finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Despite the team's many talented players, the Bucks are still struggling in the mire this season, with a record of 28 wins and 54 losses, at the bottom of the Central Division.
Back to the 76ers: In August 1993, the 76ers signed Malone, putting him in charge of taking rookie Sean Bradley with him.
The 1993–94 season was Malone's 18th season in the NBA and his 20th season in professional basketball. Malone was also the only former ABA player in the league at the time who was still playing in the NBA. Malone played 55 games for the 76ers this season, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a substitute. At the end of the season, Malone reached a career total of 27,360 points, which was the third place in the league's all-time personal total score list. In terms of total appearances, it ranked third with 1312 games, fifth in total rebounds (16166), of which offensive rebounds (6711) ranked first in the league, free throws hits (8509) also ranked first in league history, and the total number of free throws manufactured (11058) ranked second in the league.
Final season of his career: In 1994, Malone signed with the Spurs as a free agent, the last season of his career. In the 1994–95 season, Malone was a substitute for David Robinson. In a game with the Charlotte Hornets that season, Malone hit a whistle-pressing three-pointer, the eighth three-pointer of his career. Malone played 17 games for the Spurs, all in November and December of 1994. Malone was put on the list of injuries due to a torn Achilles tendon in his right calf. On January 15, Malone underwent surgery. At the end of the season, Malone announced his retirement.