It’s hard to believe that a 13-time NBA All-Star, an NBA champion, an NBA Finals MVP and a three time MVP of the league could ever be considered underrated. Yet 2001 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Moses Malone somehow doesn’t get the same type of recognition as other stars of yesteryear.
There wasn’t much Malone couldn’t do on a basketball court. He is one of the most accomplished rebounders the game has ever seen, averaging over 12 a game. He scored over 27,000 points in the NBA, and was very difficult to contain in the post. Moses Malone was also very efficient from the free throw line, shooting 76 percent from the charity stripe for his career. He did not have an offensive weakness that teams could exploit, and was exceptional at getting second chance opportunities for himself and his teammates.
The timeline of his career was also fascinating, as he was present for the evolution of the game as we know it today. Malone started his professional journey in the ABA, which would disband in 1976. He would continue his exemplary play in the NBA in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, when it was not uncommon for the NBA Finals to air on tape delay. His 21 year career would end in the mid 1990’s, at which point the National Basketball Association had become a global brand.
Moses Malone – Childhood
The nicknames Moses Eugene Malone would acquire over the years were very complimentary, but his life began as a kid in Petersburg, Virginia on March 23, 1955. Mother Mary Malone was the primary figure who raised him, as his father was not in the picture. Her entire life, Mary Malone had been used to hard work in order to make ends meet. She didn’t have much formal education, as she needed to earn money as a child herself. She knew that this was of life was difficult, but she did her best to make sure that Moses could have food on the table and a place to live.
The Malone’s home needed a lot of repairs and maintenance as the years would go on. The plumbing would not always work, and a large hole would eventually be present in the side of the house, that would go unfixed for a long time. Moses and his mother really had the bare minimum in those days, but they always had each other.
Moses Malone did not really get into basketball much as a kid, because he had to focus on helping his mother as much as he could. However, his physical stature was becoming too noticeable to ignore. At the age of 12, he already stood 6’3” tall. While the logical ensuing thought for anyone this height would be to play basketball, Moses wasn’t running to pick up the sport he would later dominate.
He did eventually come around, and started to play just before high school. His game wasn’t really polished, but Malone brought his tireless motor and effort to the floor, which set him apart from his competition. It was said that he would sometimes play basketball until the middle of the night because he was so focused on getting better.
Moses Malone – High School
Even though he was new to the sport, Moses Malone’s hard work and physical gifts were able to catch up, and push him past most players who would stand in his way. There was a schoolyard that he would frequent on Virginia Avenue that would expose his to competition against older players, and members of the United States Armed Forces.
Compared to this experience in street pickup games, high school basketball would end up being a cakewalk for him. He would play organized basketball at Petersburg High School, and became a celebrity due to his tremendous hustle and effectiveness.
The team would go on to win two consecutive state championships, and during that span, the program had a 50 game winning streak. Moses Malone would become the crown jewel of everyone’s eye, because they knew how special he was.
Moses Malone – The Next Step
Whenever a player reaches the type of stature that Moses Malone reached as a teenager, universities are usually lined up to try and recruit them to their program. This was certainly the case for Moses as well, as recruiters would come to his house in droves to try to convince him and his mother that their school was right for him. There were some days were there wasn’t enough time to see everyone, and recruiters would decide to sleep outside in fear of losing out on a once in a generation prospect.
Things became a little complicated during the process, however. Many universities who were after Malone had minimum grade requirements that the high schooler just did not meet. Despite his otherworldly basketball talent, Malone was not the most outgoing person due to his extreme shyness. Since this was a constant theme throughout his childhood, he would have difficulty articulating himself.
Additionally, Malone and his mother were still extremely poor, and it was painfully apparent even to the recruiters who would visit the family. Even if Moses ended up getting a full scholarship to college, it would mean that Mary would still have to put in long hours to support herself. Additionally, Mary dealt with health issues during the course of her life that were not going away.
With all of these considerations swirling around him, Moses decided to continue the next phase of his life at the University of Maryland, which was not far from where he grew up. As it turned out, he would only be on campus for less than a week as another opportunity beckoned.
Moses Malone – Utah Stars
Moses Malone would never suit up for the Maryland Terrapins basketball team. That is because while he was getting used to campus life, he was drafted by the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association(ABA). This came out of nowhere, as organizations usually were solely focused on the college ranks, and players who contributed on that level.
The Stars invested a third round pick in Malone, as the NBA Draft back then had many more selections than it does today. Many people thought Utah did this as a way of bringing attention to their franchise, but that they had no legitimate intention of letting Malone ever see the floor.
In any event, the 19 year old had a decision to make. Malone would end up going professional and leaving the University of Maryland, because he needed an income right away and did not want his mother to continue to struggle.
If anyone thought the Stars were a laughingstock because of this move, the joke was on them. Malone would be the first player to go straight to the professional leagues from high school, and it was apparent that he belonged right away. As a 19 year old, he would be named an ABA All-Star with averages of 18 points per game, and nearly 15 rebounds per contest. Perhaps this should not have been so surprising considering that the Virginia native would compete against grown men as a youth, but his performance certainly opened a lot of eyes.
Moses Malone – St. Louis Spirits
Financial trouble was a prominent theme for the vast majority of the ABA’s teams. Most franchises had difficulty operating for very long, and had to cut costs wherever they possibly could.
Quite remarkably, the Utah Stars thought they could power through for a little while longer despite their fledgling bottom line, but they had to fold during the 1975-1976 season. The franchise had a mountainous amount of debt, and actually traded four players to the St. Louis Spirits for money they would use to pay off creditors.
As one might imagine, the Spirits’ season was a bit disjointed, having received four players from the Stars in the middle of the year. The team was not very competitive, but the characters involved with the team during that campaign are well known in NBA history. Malone would play with longtime future NBA coaches Don Chaney and Mike D’Antoni in St. Louis, and that team would be coached by future NBA executive Ron Thorn.
Moses Malone – Buffalo Braves
The 1975-1976 season would be the final year the ABA would be in existence. Only four teams from the league would end up transitioning to the NBA; the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs. Every other franchise would disband and fold with the demise of the league.
This meant that there was a pool of players on the market who played on ABA teams that longer existed. The NBA had a special dispersal draft, where these players could be selected to new NBA teams.
Because of his youth and massive production, Malone’s assigned price tag in the dispersal draft was $350,000. The Portland Trail Blazers would purchase his rights.
However, the double-double machine would never suit up for Portland. Right before the season began, Malone was traded to the Buffalo Braves. This prompted speculation that the Blazers never really intended for him to reach the court, and only wanted to use him as a trade asset to acquire a first round pick. It was an intriguing strategy, but also puzzling, considering that a frontcourt of Malone and fellow future Hall of Famer Bill Walton could have dominated the league for many years.
Moses Malone – Houston Rockets
As it turned out, Moses Malone’s tenure with the Buffalo Braves lasted longer than his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, by two games. There seemed to be a disconnect between the expectations that Malone and his representatives would have for his role with the Braves, versus what the organization felt they would do to incorporate him. Buffalo’s coach told the media that Malone’s agreement stipulated that he play a minimum of 24 minutes a game, and articulated that he didn’t think that type of language was fair. It seemed like he felt restricted by that clause, and did not want to have a basketball rotation that was predetermined by legal jargon.
Although Malone’s representatives dismissed that the term existed in the contract, the organization made the decision to move off of the talented big man. For the second time in literally less than one week, he was traded. This time, he would move on to the Houston Rockets.
Regardless of what the Braves and the Trail Blazers were thinking when they parted ways with Moses Malone, it was clear that their loss was the Houston Rockets’ gain. It turned out to be a good fit in part because he would be reunited with the coach that gave him the opportunity to develop as a rookie with Utah, Tom Nissalke.
Even though Malone did not spend training camp with Houston, he would hit the ground running with the Rockets. He joined a historically underrated, but talented core group of players, featuring Rudy Tomjanovich, Calvin Murphy and John Lucas. It was a good fit because Malone, who was still only 21 years old, was willing to provide the interior presence Houston had been missing.
He would only end up averaging just over 13 points per game in 1976-1977, but hauled in 13 rebounds a night, as well as two blocks per game. Houston would end up making the Eastern Conference Finals(they were not in the Western Conference until a few years later), but lost in six games to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Rockets didn’t quite have the same type of team success in the following year due to Tomjanovich missing most of the season, but Malone would establish himself as an absolute force to be reckoned with. He would make his first All-Star team since his rookie season in the ABA with the Stars, which would kick off a run of 12 straight years he would receive that honor.
By 1978-1979, most true fans of the game knew what type of player Malone was, but he took his performance to a different level that would catapult him into the pantheon of the league’s elite. He was named NBA MVP that year, averaging nearly 25 points per game, with nearly 18 rebounds. He was cleaning the glass at a jaw-dropping rate, and there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop him.
Before the next season, Houston would make a coaching change, bringing in Del Harris to lead the team. Even though Harris’ career record would not end up looking that spectacular, his ascension to the leading role would coincide with a couple of memorable seasons for the franchise.
In 1979-1980, Moses Malone had another tremendous campaign, as he would for the next decade or so. As the unquestioned leader of the team, he led the Rockets to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Even though they would get swept by the Boston Celtics, he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds.
The 1980-1981 season would be the first campaign where the Rockets would compete in the Western Conference. It would seem like this would make life more difficult for them, considering that the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be on the verge of a dynasty with a young Magic Johnson leading the way.
That regular season was nothing special for Houston. They finished 40-42, and were able to just squeak into the playoffs. A three game first round series with the Lakers awaited them, and not much was expected.
However, Moses Malone rose to the occasion, arguably outplaying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the series. Calvin Murphy also played well, averaging 20 points per game. Houston upset the Lakers in the first round. The Rockets would have an extremely competitive series in the following round against the San Antonio Spurs, but would prevail in seven games. They would defeat the Kings in the conference finals, and square off against the Boston Celtics in the championship.
Houston played Boston tough, but ended up losing in six games. Moses Malone had a great series, but Calvin Murphy was not able to produce through injury.
Playing a league-leading 42 minutes a game en route to his second MVP award, Moses Malone did everything he could to lead Houston back to the NBA Finals. However, the team would come up short, losing in the first round. It would end up being his final campaign with the Rockets.
Moses Malone – Philadelphia 76ers
It’s not often that an NBA MVP is traded the very next season, but Moses Malone’s career was a prime example of how to expect the unexpected. The Rockets dealt him to the Philadelphia 76ers, another team who was looking to get past the Celtics and Lakers to grasp their own championship glory.
Malone would pick up right where he left off in Houston, and the 76ers would impose their will on the league winning 65 regular season games. For his efforts, and his demonstrated difference making play, he would take home his second consecutive NBA MVP.
It turned out that the 1983 76ers would be one of the most dominant playoff teams of all time. Moses Malone was so confident they would reach their ultimate goal, he infamously stated that the 76ers would win it all in “fo fo fo”. This meant he believed they would sweep every series.
With Malone playing determined and inspired basketball for the 76ers, the Lakers did not stand much of a chance. He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, and over a block and steal per game.
TweetThey swept the New York Knicks and dispatched of the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. They would square off with the Lakers, who defeated them in the NBA Finals the year before.
He truly was the difference in the series, and was named NBA Finals MVP as the 76ers swept Los Angeles and won the NBA championship. It wasn’t quite the “fo fo fo” he predicted, but it was one of the most impressive stretches ever.
Philadelphia would not quite reach the same heights in Moses’ next three years with the team, but they still had notable regular seasons and were a factor in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Malone is still revered in the city for what he was able to do in 1982-1983. He would return for a reunion very late in his career during the 1993-1994 campaign.
Moses Malone – Washington Bullets
With his “Chairman Of The Boards” reputation and production still very much intact, Moses Malone was traded by Philadelphia to the Washington Bullets ahead of the 1986-1987 season.
This was a step down for Malone in terms of overall team quality, as the Bullets were not in the title mix. They did make the postseason in both years Malone was there, and he got to play on some fun teams with Manute Bol and Muggsy Bogues.
Moses Malone – Atlanta Hawks
Moses Malone signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks in August 1988, with the franchise hoping that the still effective post player could give the team a spark. They had been a playoff team throughout the 1980’s, but could not get over the hump.
Malone would certainly provide an interior presence alongside the still bouncy Dominique Wilkins, but the Hawks would not advance past the first round.
Moses Malone – Milwaukee Bucks
With his All-Star days firmly behind him, Moses Malone continued his career in Milwaukee after his three year stint with the Hawks. The Bucks were not a very good team, and Malone served as a late 30’s big name who could help put fans in the seats. In his second season with Milwaukee, he had surgery for a herniated disk, which only allowed him to play in 11 games.
Moses Malone – San Antonio Spurs
Moses Malone would give it one last go in the NBA in 1994-1995, signing with the San Antonio Spurs. His health and production and all but vanished, and he only ended up playing in 17 games with the Spurs. One neat fact from his time there though is that for a very short time, two of the greatest rebounders in NBA history were on the same team, as Dennis Rodman was on the roster as well.
How many rings does Moses Malone have?
Moses Malone was a great professional basketball player for a very long time, but it took him several years to find himself in the perfect situation to win a championship. That would turn out to be in the 1982-1983 season, when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia had come very close to winning a title in previous seasons, as had Malone individually in his days with the Houston Rockets. They proved to be the perfect combination, as the team and Moses both had a dominant year. They squared off with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, who they swept for Moses’ first and only title.
What basketball teams did Moses Malone play for?
Moses Malone would play for quite a few teams during his professional basketball career. He was drafted by the Utah Stars of the NBA, which began his basketball journey. He was then sold to the St. Louis Spirits in the middle of the next season.
While he was in the NBA, he would play for the Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs. The best years of his career came in the ABA, then with the Rockets, and 76ers, where he would win an elusive NBA championship. He was a 13 time All-Star.
What was Moses Malone known for?
First and foremost, Moses Malone was known for being a fantastic basketball player. He won league MVP awards three times, and was one of the most unstoppable players in the history of the NBA. Malone was also specifically known for being one of the best rebounders of all time.
One of his nicknames was “Chairman Of The Boards”, which spoke to how much he dominated the glass. Malone was also very famous for the phrase “Fo Fo Fo”, which hinted that the 1982-1983 76ers would sweep every series of the playoffs on their way to an NBA championship. They came within one game of doing that.
