Moses Malone
Two-time N.B.A. M.V.P.
Moses Malone began his career in professional basketball in 1974 when he became
the first player in ABA basketball history to make the move directly from high school
ball to playing in a professional league. He joined the now-defunct American Basketball
Association's Utah Stars and immediately became a dominant force underneath the basket.
At 6-10, Malone was not as tall as th game's other centers, yet he attained legendary
status by capitalizing on his quickness and tenacity, unlimited number of post moves,
ferocious rebounding skill, strong scoring ability and talent for getting to the
free throw line. Malone had the unique skill of consistently turning offensive rebounds
into points.
His career peaked during his seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Matched with
Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones and Andrew Toney in the 1982-83 season,
the 76ers led the league with a 65-17 regular-season record and won the championship.
Malone won both NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP that year. Malone's other achievements
include NBA MVP (1979, '82), All-NBA first team (1979, '82, '85), All-NBA second
team (1980, '81, '84, '87), NBA All-Defensive first team (1983) and NBA All-Defensive
second team (1979). Malone also holds career records for the most consecutive games
without a disqualification (1,212), most free throws made (8,531), most offensive
rebounds (6,731) and most turnovers (3,804). He achieved the milestone of playing
his 45,000th minute against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 14, 1994. Malone is recognized
today not only for greatness as an all-around player, but also for his longevity,
as he has played for two ABA teams and eight NBA teams and for 22 years. John Lucas,
one of Malone's former Rockets teammates, once said of Malone, "He's just a
blue-collar worker and ... the greatest blue-collar worker in the history of the
game."
| EVENT |
PLACE |
POINTS |
MONEY |
EVENT WINS |
| 1980 Preliminary 3 |
6 |
17 |
$1,700 |
N/A |
| TOTALS |
17 |
$1,700 |
- |