Background
Malone, in full Moses Eugene Malone, was born on March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia, United States. The only child in a poor family, he was brought up by his mother Mary Elizabeth, a nurses' aide and meat-packer.
1977
Moses Malone of the Houston Rockets
1983
Moses Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to win the 1983 NBA championship.
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
The University of Maryland where Malone studied for two and a half days before going into professional leagues.
In 1974, Moses Malone became the first player to go from high school to the professional leagues after signing a contract with the ABA's Utah Stars.
Moses Malone (13) and Marvin Barnes (24) of the Spirits of St. Louis play versus the New York Nets.
Moses Malone competes for the Buffalo Braves.
Moses Malone played for the Houston Rockets from 1976 to 1982.
Moses Malone as a player of the Houston Rockets
Moses Malone and Julius Erving (right) as the players of the Philadelphia 76ers
Moses Malone played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1982 to 1986.
Moses Malone posts up Boston's Robert Parish.
Moses Malone of the Philadelphia 76ers
Moses Malone played for the Washington Bullets (present-day Washington Wizards) from 1986 to 1988.
Malone as a player of the Washington Bullets (present-day Washington Wizards)
Moses Malone played for the Atlanta Hawks from 1988 to 1991.
Moses Malone as a player of the Atlanta Hawks
Moses Malone played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991 to 1993.
Moses Malone as a player of the Philadelphia 76ers
Moses Malone played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 to 1995.
The NBA Championship Trophy that the Philadelphia 76ers received in 1983.
3101 Johnson Rd, Petersburg, VA 23805, United States
Petersburg High School where Moses Malone did his studies.
Malone, in full Moses Eugene Malone, was born on March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia, United States. The only child in a poor family, he was brought up by his mother Mary Elizabeth, a nurses' aide and meat-packer.
Moses Malone's mother separated from his alcoholic father when Moses was two. Malone developed interest in basketball at an early age and practiced incessantly. By the age of twelve he was already six feet, three inches tall, and a local youth league required that he played guard and stayed out of the key area.
An unrelenting work ethic combined with such physical characteristics led him to become the best player in Petersburg High School team. By 1974, the graduation year, he had 31 points, an astounding 26 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots per game. He led the team to 50 consecutive victories and two state championships.
Malone chose the University of Maryland among more than 300 colleges which offered him scholarships. He attended classes for two and a half days and then went immediately into professional leagues.
The start of Moses Malone's career can be counted from 1974 when he signed with the ABA's Utah Stars. Playing guard until he bulked up enough to withstand the hammering at center, Malone averaged an amazing 18 points and 14 rebounds per game as a rookie. The Utah was disbanded in the midseason of 1975-1976. Malone, injured in the first half of the season, joined the Spirits of St. Louis and averaged 14.6 points a game for them. The player then made his way to the NBA in 1976, first competing for the Buffalo Braves and later, into the 1976–77 season, for the Houston Rockets.
All-around play of Malone was widely praised. An outstanding offensive rebounder with an accurate shooting eye from the floor and free-throw line, he was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1979 and 1982. In 1981 he led the Rockets to the NBA finals.
The following year, Malone was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Playing for the 76ers was the pinnacle of his career, including through his teaming with the league's all-time best players, Julius Erving, All-Star guards Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney. In 1983, the team won the NBA championship, and Malone was named MVP of the regular season and the NBA finals that same year.
During the 1985-86 season, Malone was injured in a game against Milwaukee that cut his season short 8 games before the postseason. Without Malone, the Philadelphia 76ers wasn't good in the play-offs, losing to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After the end of the season Malone was drafted to the Washington Bullets (present-day Washington Wizards). He achieved more than twenty-nine points and fourteen rebounds per game against his former teammates and led the team to four consecutive victories until an overtime defeat late in the season.
Malone continued to be among the league's top scorers and rebounders for the next four years, playing for the Washington Bullets and beginning in 1988 for the Atlanta Hawks. Even late in his career he demonstrated strong numbers. In the 1990-91 season, his 17th year as a professional, Malone averaged 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds though he was now playing as a back-up for Jon Koncak. Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991 to 1992, he averaged 15.6 points per game.
After competing for the Bucks the next season, Malone came back to the Philadelphia 76ers, this time as a free agent, primarily to mentor the rookie Shawn Bradley. Moses Malone spent 1995, his final year as an active athlete, competing for the San Antonio Spurs as a backup player. From 2006 to 2009, Moses Malone served as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Moses Malone named pride, not money, as the main motivator for full commitment and hard work in basketball. The athlete never analyzed the game strategy for the media's sake, preferring to use his deep understanding of the game for the most important, the victory.
Quotations:
"I'll always be Number 1 to myself."
"You've got to put in a lot of practice if you want to be good in something. You've got to do it the right way."
"If you want to win, you come to play; I don't come to half-step. If you think that you're No. 2 out there, then you won't be nothing. You can't have that. You have to be No. 1. That's the thing."
"I'm a big-guy guy. I look at guys like Shaq, Ben Wallace, guys who play inside and play tough. I don't pay much attention to the little guys; I like the big guys who do the dirty work."
"My game is hard work and pride. On the all hard-work team, I'd pick myself five times."
Moses Malone was a born leader, with extraordinary drive and determination. He needed to feel in command of important undertakings and resisted supportive roles.
Physical Characteristics: Malone was 2.08 meters tall and weighed 118 kg.
Moses Malone was married to Alfreda Ann Gill till 1992. The family produced two sons, Moses Eugene, Jr. and Michael Earl. Moses Eugene, Jr. has been a basketball player like his father.
Moses Malone had a relationship with Leah Nash from 2006. Although never married officially, Malone and Nash had a son, Micah Francois Malone.