Moses Malone: Unsung Hero



I would like to take this time to highlight one of the Unsung Hero's in NBA History as he reaches a milestone. NBA legend Moses Malone reaches 60. Moses was a pioneer, as he became the first player to come out of high school to become a star in the pros. Had it not been for Malone doing what he did, we would not see future Hall of Famers like KG, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Moses jumped from St. Petersburg HS to the ABA in 1974 only at age 19. He started his career with the Utah Stars. There were flashes of brilliance in his game, as he was obviously much lighter as Moses had yet to fill out his 6'10" frame. After one season, Malone went to the Spirits of St. Louis, where he would spend his last ABA Season as the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976. Moses had a rocky start coming into the NBA as he was selected by the Portland Trailblazers in the ABA Dispersal Draft. However, the 21-year old Moses never played a single game for Portland, as he was traded to the Buffalo Braves for a 1978 first round draft choice in the first game of the 1976-77 season. Ironically, Portland would win the championship that season. After two games with Buffalo, Moses was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he would first make his mark as a star in the NBA. In Houston, Moses would establish himself as one of the most dangerous rebounders and premiere players in the league. His strength was offensive rebounding, as he was critical for creating second chance points. Malone finished the season with 13.2 ppg and 13.1 RPG. Very even season, as he ranked third behind only Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in rebounding. That year, he also set a record for most offensive rebounds in a season with 437. Malone also ranked 7th in blocked shots with 2.21 big. In the playoffs, Moses took his game to another level when he led the Rockets to the Eastern Conference Finals where they would lose to his future team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Malone averaged 18.8 ppg, and 16.9 ppg in 12 playoff games. The 1977-78 season would prematurely end for the rising young star when he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot, causing him to miss the final 23 games. However, Malone still led the NBA in offensive rebounds again (380) and finished second in rebounding average (15.0 RPG). That season, Moses made the first of 12 consecutive All-Star appearances. Had he gone to college, this would have been his senior season. Moses finished with 19.4 ppg, finishing third on the team behind Calvin Murphy (25.6) and Rudy Tomjanovich (21.5). During his first two seasons in Houston, Moses wore #21. In 1978-79, Moses switched to #24, which is the number he used for the remainder of his time with the Rockets. That was also Malone's breakout season, as he averaged 24.8 ppg, and a career-high 17.6 RPG to win his first NBA MVP Award at only age 24. If Moses had accepted the scholarship that was offered to him coming out of Petersburg, this would have been his rookie season. Instead, he was in his fifth campaign as a pro. Part of his success, this season came after adding 15 pounds in the offseason, bulking up to 235 lbs. Malone led the league in rebounding for the first time, and broke his own regular season record for most offensive rebounds with 587. That season, Moses also shot a career-high 54% from the field. Malone was the starting Center for the East in the All-Star Game, as he also made his first appearance on the All-NBA First Team along with All-Defensive Second Team honors. On February 9, 1979, Moses would grab a career-high 37 rebounds against the New Orleans Jazz. Houston made it to the playoffs but were swept by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Moses continued to carry the load for Houston, as he would average 25.8 ppg (5th) and 14.5 RPG (2nd) during the 1980 Season. Malone made his third straight All-Star Game Appearance as the Starter for the East. He would make the All-NBA Second Team, as Kareem would make the First Team by winning MVP that season. Moses' will and blue-collar dominance would lead the Rockets past the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, as he scored 37 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in the third and final game, as Houston would win 141-120. The Rockets would lose to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the 1980-81 season, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs would be moved to the Western Conference (Midwest Division). That season, Malone would lead the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance with 27.8 ppg, and 14.8 RPG in 80 games. He also made his 4th All-Star Team. In the playoffs, Malone would average 26.8 ppg with 14.5 RPG to help the 40-42 Rockets advance to the Finals. Houston would fall to the Boston Celtics in six games, as they were led by second-year star Larry Bird. In 1982, Moses would continue to produce spectacular numbers as he averaged a career-high 31.1 ppg with 14.7 RPG to capture his second MVP Award. This would be his second straight rebounding title, as he would finish second in scoring to George Gervin (32.3 ppg). Moses also led the league in minutes played and minutes per game (3,398, 42.0 mpg) along with offensive rebounds (558). This was a testament to how Moses was the ultimate workhorse in NBA history. He would also make the All-NBA 1st Team for the second time in his career. This would eventually be the last season for Moses in a Rockets uniform, as Houston would be eliminated in the first round by Seattle in three games. Moses was also instrumental in mentoring a young promising Big Man from Nigeria named Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon during the offseason when Olajuwon was a freshman at the University of Houston.

At this time, the Houston Rockets were in the process of rebuilding, as they allowed restricted free agent Moses Malone to explore his options in the free agent market. On September 2, Moses Malone signed a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Houston matched the offer, only to trade Moses to Philly anyway for Caldwell Jones and a 1983 first-round draft choice. In the end, the Sixers had the last laugh as Moses would lead them in scoring with 24.5 ppg (5th in NBA), along with rebounding with 15.3 RPG (1st in NBA). Moses was the final piece that the Sixers needed to win the championship. Dr. J had struggled for 6 NBA Seasons as Philadelphia lost in 3 NBA Finals appearances, as time was winding down for him to become an NBA Champion to further cement his legacy. Moses was clearly the right name, as he led the Sixers through the Red Sea of the NBA and to the Promise of the NBA Crown. That first season with Philadelphia was the best of Malone's tenure with the team, as he won his third MVP Award as the Sixers would pound the Showtime Lakers of Magic and Kareem in 4 games during the Finals. That would be considered as the defining season of his career, as he helped save Julius Erving's NBA legacy. The team could not be any better for Moses, as he completed a great starting lineup of the legendary Dr. J, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones. The Sixers were a powerhouse, as they cruised on the Moses Express. Moses was named NBA Finals MVP in dominant fashion with 26 ppg, and 15.8 RPG. At this point, Moses reached his pinnacle and pretty much peaked out with stratospheric numbers from the span of '79-'83. He was the clear-cut most dominant player in the league by this point. In 1983-84, Moses would be limited to 71 games from an ankle injury. He would average 22.7 ppg that year. The Sixers suffered an upset in the first round at the hands of the New Jersey Nets. Malone still led the league in rebounding once again with 13.1 RPG. Boston Celtic Small Forward Larry Bird would take control of the MVP Award from this point. In 1984-85, Malone would average 24.6 ppg for his eighth All-Star appearance. On November 28, 1984 Moses Malone scored his 15,000th point and grabbed his 10,000th rebound on March 29, 1985. With the addition of rookie Charles Barkley, the Sixers would make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals as they would ultimately lose to the Boston Celtics. As time would take its toll on the team (especially Dr. J), the Philadelphia 76ers would start a steady decline in the pecking order of the Eastern Conference as the Detroit Pistons would make their emergence. Moses Malone's 10th NBA Season would be his last with Philadelphia as it was cut short from a fractured orbital in his right eye. Without him, the Sixers would fall to the Milwaukee Bucks in 7 games in the ECSF. His reign as the rebounding king would come to an end as well. By the start of the 1986-87 season, Moses Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets. Malone bounced back in his 11th season with 24.1 ppg, and 11.3 RPG to make his 10th straight All-Star Game. On April 12, 1987 Moses scored his 20,000th career point. Malone would make another All-Star team with the Bullets in 1988, before signing with the Atlanta Hawks for the 1988-89 season to join Dominique Wilkins in the frontcourt. In his first season with the Hawks, Moses would record his 10th straight season averaging at least 20 ppg and 10 RPG. Although Moses was far from the player that he was in his glory days with the Rockets and Sixers, he still managed to make his 12th straight All-Star Game in Houston, the place where his NBA Career would start. Moses would fail to average 20/10 in 1989-90, which was the first time since his second season. Malone would spend his twilight years being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks before going back to the Sixers and ending with the San Antonio Spurs in 1995. By the way, in 1995 the Spurs were led by MVP David Robinson along with another Rebounding Stud named Dennis Rodman. He retired from a pretty great team. In 1996-97, Moses Malone was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players. In 2001, Moses was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as Dr. J was his presenter. When you factor his ABA Career along with his stellar 19-year NBA Career, Moses Malone's resume is outstanding:

• 29,580 Career Points (20.6 ppg, 7th All-Time in Points)
• 17,834 Career Rebounds (12.2 rpg, 3rd All-Time in Rebounds)
• 1,936 Assists (1.4 apg)
• NBA champion (1983)
• NBA Finals MVP (1983)
• 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1979, 1982–1983)
• 12× NBA All-Star (1978–1989)
• 2× ABA All-Star (1975–1976)
• 4× All-NBA First Team (1979, 1982–1983, 1985)
• 4× All-NBA Second Team (1980–1981, 1984, 1987)
• NBA All-Defensive First Team (1983)
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1979)
• ABA All-Rookie Team (1975)
• 6× NBA rebounding leader (1979, 1981–1985)
• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• ABA All-Time Team
• No. 24 retired by Houston Rockets

In an era that featured the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Moses managed to shine in his own way. What he achieved during that time is remarkable. He would be the bridge between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the reign Hakeem Olajuwon as the NBA's premiere Big Man from 1984 into the future. What Malone lacked in style, he more than made up for with incredible substance. Mr. Moses Malone was truly an unsung hero. "Fo, Fo, Fo".