Moses E. Malone

Enshrined 2001
Born: March 23, 1955
Petersburg, VA

A modest citizen off the court, on the hardwood, Moses Malone was an aggressive and tenacious player. Making his home in the paint, few have dominated that area like the ABA/NBA center. The first modern player to go straight from high school to professional basketball, Malone started in the ABA with the Utah Stars, before moving on to twelve NBA All-Star seasons primarily with the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. Malone led the NBA in rebounding six times, and averaged more than 20 points per game for eleven consecutive seasons. Malone teamed with Hall of Famer Julius Erving to bring Philadelphia the 1983 NBA Championship. When he retired in 1995, Malone was the NBA's third leading rebounder, fifth leading scorer, and had made more free throws than any other player in history. Despite his aggressive style, he played a record 1,212 games without a single disqualification.