American · Petersburg, Virginia · Born 23 March 1955The original one-and-done — went straight from high school to the ABA and became the greatest offensive rebounder of all time.
Moses Eugene Malone was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1955. He signed with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974 directly from high school — making him one of the first players to skip college for professional basketball. His combined ABA and NBA career produced 20.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He won three NBA MVP awards (1979, 1982, 1983) and one with the ABA. He won the NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 — his sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers following his now-famous prediction of fo, fo, fo (four, four, four — sweeps in every round, which became fo, fo, fi after a fifth game in one series). He won the Finals MVP. He won 12 All-Star selections. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. He is the all-time career offensive rebounding leader in NBA history. He averaged 17.6 offensive rebounds per game in 1978-79 — the highest single-season total ever recorded. He died in September 2015 aged 60. His career is the original template for bypassing college.
Dominant rebounding center and 3x NBA MVP
How They Played
Physical post player with exceptional rebounding skills
Lasting Impact
Hall of Fame center who revolutionized offensive rebounding
Career Honours
- NBA Champion (1983)
- Finals MVP (1983)
- NBA MVP 3x (1979,1982,1983)
- All-Star 12x
- Hall of Fame (2001)
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Stars | 1974–1975 | 83 |
| Houston Rockets | 1976–1982 | 468 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 1982–1986 | 278 |
| Spirits of St. Louis | 1975–1976 | 43 |
| Buffalo Braves | 1976–1976 | 19 |
| Washington Bullets | 1986–1988 | 160 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 1988–1991 | 207 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1991–1993 | 122 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 1994–1995 | 17 |
American Athletes