Moses Malone
“Moses”
"Chairman of the Boards"
ABA, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Bullets, Hawks, Bucks, Spurs – 21 Years, 1329 games
6’10” – 230 lb – 20.2 pts – 12.2 reb – 1.4 ast – 1.3 blk – .491 fg%
SLAM “The 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time” Feb 2011 Ranking: 15
“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 12
By the time Moses retired from the NBA in 1995 he was a relic. At forty years old, he was the last remaining player to have played in the long-defunct ABA. His 21-year career netted him three League MVP awards, thirteen All-Star selections, and Moses was named playoff MVP when he won the 1983 NBA championship.
A hall-of-famer, Moses’ calling card was rebounding. He was a pioneer of the modern boxout, and would aggressively thrust opponents backward to create space for a rebound. When physical battles under the backboard were more tolerated Malone once went a record 1212 games without fouling out. He is the NBA’s all-time leading offensive rebounder (he once had 21 in one game), and is third all-time in total rebounds.
Moses’ career was long, but his quality years were his first twelve. He was a dependable 20-10 guy on four different teams (the only player to do this) during his peak, and once averaged 26-15 over five seasons. His rebounding prowess, positioning, and effort were what endeared him to teams and fans. Malone didn’t have much of a personality and wasn’t very well-spoken, he just did his job: rebounded.
Several of Kevin Love’s new records this season have forced NBA analysts to uncover the dusty record books. The last time somebody had a 30-30 game? Moses. 51 straight games with a points-rebounds double-double? Moses. These records went untouched for thirty years, a testament to *ahem Moses’ achievements.
Moses wasn’t bad on offense either. His 27, 409 points ranks seventh all-time after recently being passed by Kobe Bryant. You don’t average 20.2 and 12.2 for a career that spanned two decades and not set a few records. Malone also ranks second all-time in free-throws made, and fourth in free-throws attempted. He played in the fifth-most games, and the fourth-most minutes from the time he was a lean nineteen years old until he was a wizened old man.
That’s right, Moses wasn’t always the graybeard patriarch his name conjures in our heads, he was the original “Young Money.” Decades before Garnett, and Kobe did it and LeBron and Dwight ended it, Moses made the original leap from preps to pros. He wasn’t a trendsetter; he was just a skilled big man with passion, longevity and an appetite for rebounds.
NBA.com info pageMoses' top 10 Playoff plays
Intro video from Youtube
Nike Ad featuring Moses Malone rebounding
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