Moses Malone
Teams
Utah Stars (ABA) - 1974-75
Spirits of Saint Louis (ABA) - 1975-76
Buffalo Braves - 1976
Houston Rockets - 1976-82
Philadelphia 76ers - 1982-86, 1993-94
Washington Bullets - 1986-88
Atlanta Hawks - 1988-91
Milwaukee Bucks - 1991-93
San Antonio Spurs - 1994-95
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (1975,1977,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1987,1988,1989,1991)
Conference Finals - 4 (1977,1981,1983,1985)
NBA Finals - 2 (1981,1983)
Championships - 1 (1983)
Awards and Honors
MVP - 3 (1979,1981,1982,1983)
Finals MVP - 1 (1983)
All-NBA First Team - 4 (1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1985)
All-NBA/ABA Second Team - 4 (1975,1980,1981,1984,1987)
Hall of Fame - 2001
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Rebounds - #3
Total Points - #9
Rebounds Per Game - #16
Total Blocks - #25
Points Per Game - #60
Total Steals - #97
League Leads
Rebounds Per Game (#1-1979,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985, #2-1978,1980, #3-1977, #4-1975,1986,1989)
Total Rebounds (#1-1979,1981,1982,1983,1985, #2-1977,1980, #3-1975,1984, #4-1989, #5-1986)
Points Per Game (#2-1981,1982, #5-1979,1980,1983)
Total Points (#2-1980,1981,1982, #3-1979)
Field Goal Percentage (#3-1975)
After leading Petersburg High School to consecutive undefeated seasons and back-to-back Virginia State Championships, Moses Malone had signed to play college basketball at Maryland, but when he was drafted in the 3rd round of the ABA Draft by the Utah Stars, he decided to turn pro instead.
Malone had a very good rookie season, averaging 18.8 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, being named to the All-Rookie First Team and leading the Stars to the playoffs. In the first round, he averaged 22.7 points and 17.5 rebounds, but it wasn't enough and the Stars lost to the Nuggets in 6 games.
The Stars folded at the beginning of the next season, and Malone was sold to Saint Louis, where he had a mediocre year as the ABA era was coming to an end. The Spirits were not invited to join the NBA in the merger that summer, and the New Orleans Jazz held Malone's NBA rights, but they gave them up in exchange for a first round draft pick, putting Malone in the ABA Dispersal Draft. He was the #5 overall pick in that draft by Portland, but they already had Maurice Lucas, so they traded Malone to Buffalo before the season.
In the first 2 games of the season, Buffalo only gave Malone 6 total minutes of playing time, and when he complained, they traded him to the Houston Rockets. He finally achieved some stability with the Rockets, playing with them for 6 years and achieving some of his best individual success.
In his first full season with Houston, Malone really started to blossom, averaging 19.4 points and 15 rebounds per game before missing the final third of the season with a stress fracture in his foot. When he was fully healed the next year, he had his first monster season, averaging 24.8 points and a career high 17.6 rebounds per game, which led the league and earned him his first MVP award, but the Rockets lost in the first round of the playoffs.
The next year, Malone was just as good, but came in #2 in rebounding and did not repeat as MVP. He did help Houston win a playoff series, with 37 points and 20 rebounds in the deciding game in the first round against San Antonio, but they were swept in the next round by Boston.
Malone had his best overall season the next year, averaging 27.8 points and 14.8 rebounds per game, finishing at the top of the league in rebounding and runner-up in scoring. The team barely made the playoffs with a 40-42 record, but Malone led them all the way to the NBA Finals, where the Celtics were too much for the Cinderella Rockets, beating them in 6 games.
Malone won his second MVP the next year, when he averaged 31.1 points a game to finish as the runner-up in the scoring race again, and led the league in rebounding for the third time with 14.7 per game. That season ended in disappointment, however, when the Rockets lost in the first round. After the season, the team was sold, and the new owners felt that Malone cost too much, so they traded him to the 76ers for Caldwell Jones and a first-round pick.
The 76ers already had Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks on the roster, and the addition of Malone made them unstoppable. Malone won his second straight MVP, the only player to win back-to-back with different teams, with averages of 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds, once again tops in the league in boards. Malone predicted that the 76ers would sweep through the playoffs in "fo, fo, fo", but he just missed on his prediction, as the team lost one game in the Conference Finals to Milwaukee. Malone was named the Finals MVP as well after averaging 25.8 points and 18 rebounds in the sweep of the Lakers.
Malone led the league in rebounding for the 4th straight time the next year, but the defending champs were shocked in the first round of the playoffs by the Nets. After adding Charles Barkley the next year, the Sixers bounced back with another strong season, reaching the Conference Finals while Malone led the league in rebounding for the 5th straight season and 6th overall. It would be the final time that Malone would win a playoff series.
After one more season with the Sixers, Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets. He played two seasons for the Bullets, averaging at least 20 and 10 in each season. He then signed as a free agent with the Hawks, where he again averaged 20 and 10 in his first season with the team, making it 11 years in a row hitting those marks, and making him the first player in history to do it with 4 different teams.
In his third season with Atlanta, he was moved to the bench for the first time in his career, so he left as a free agent to sign with Milwaukee, where he started for one more year, averaging 15.6 and 9.1 rebounds per game. He injured his back in the preseason just before the next season started, and ended up playing only 11 games.
After that, Malone played two more seasons in a backup role, one back with the 76ers, followed by his final season backing up David Robinson in San Antonio. He finished his career with a 74-foot buzzer beater against the Hornets, only the 8th three-pointer he hit in his entire career.
Malone is the greatest offensive rebounder of all time, leading the league 9 times and setting the records for most in a season and in a game as well. He led the league in rebounding 6 times, and finished in the top 4 six other times, and is currently #3 on the all-time leaderboard, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. He won 3 MVP awards, one of only 8 players to achieve that feat, and won a dominant Finals MVP in 1983, and he is definitely one of the greatest players of all time.
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