Moses (Eugene) Malone - High school and ABA, NBA career, Career accomplishments and trivia

Basketball player, born in Petersburg, Virginia, USA. He came out of high school straight into professional basketball at age 19. After playing two years in the American Basketball Association (1974–5), he played centre for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee Bucks, and won the Most Valuable Player award three times (1979, 1982, 1983). An outstanding rebounder, he holds the NBA's all-time offensive rebound record, and is the fourth highest all-time point scorer.

Position:	Center
College:	None
ABA draft:	1974, 3rd round Utah Stars
Pro career:	21 seasons
Hall of Fame:	NBA Naismith

Moses Eugene Malone (born March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player who also played in the American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as on the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets. Malone played 21 seasons in the NBA.

High school and ABA

Malone graduated from Petersburg High School to the ABA, being hired by the Utah Stars in 1974, after signing a letter of intent to play at University of Maryland.

In two seasons in the ABA, Malone averaged 17.2 points and 13.9 rebounds per game.

NBA career

After the ABA was merged with the NBA, Malone became a member of the Buffalo Braves, having been selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the ABA dispersal draft but traded to the Braves after the draft. Malone had been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player two seasons earlier, in 1978-79.

76ers' savior

After averaging 31 points per game in the 1981-82 season, Malone again won the MVP award. In Philadelphia, he teamed up with Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones, among others, to win his only NBA championship when the Sixers swept Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1983 NBA Finals. Once again, Malone helped his team reach a level of respectability with the Bullets, as they reached the NBA playoffs during the two seasons that Malone played with them.

Malone then went on to the Milwaukee Bucks after the 1990-91 season, remaining there until the summer of 1993.

Malone then rejoined the Sixers for a short period of time, participating with Manute Bol in what would be an injury plagued 1993-94 season. During the final game of his NBA career in a game against the Charlotte Hornets, he hit a buzzer-beating three-point shot from the opposing free throw line, eighty feet away from the goal.

Malone wore several different jersey numbers in his career, among them #2 with the Sixers, Hawks, and Spurs, #4 with the Bullets, #6 with the Bucks, #13 with the Spirits, #22 with the Stars, and #24 with the Rockets.

Career accomplishments and trivia

Malone helped his high school team to 50 wins in a row, and a number of state championships.

Malone became the first player in NBA history to earn five consecutive rebounding titles in five years after the 1984-1985 season, when he averaged 13 rebounds per game.

He did not foul out during his final 1,212 games - the longest streak of games played without a disqualification .

Moses Malone played his final NBA game on 27 December 1994 in a Spurs 119-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets 23 games into the 1994-95 season .

He is second only to Karl Malone in overall (NBA &

Malone was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1997.