
Moses Malone, nicknamed "Big Mo", played 2 seasons in the ABA and 19 seasons in the NBA with the Utah Stars, Spirits of St. Louis, Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and San Antonio Spurs. Although Malone has played for a wide variety of teams, he is best known for his time playing for the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. With low athleticism and unenlarged hands, hard work and dedication paved the way for Malone's successful career. Malone is one of the best rebounders of all-time, leading the league in rebounds for five years straight and holds the NBA record for most offensive rebounds in a game, season, and career, as well as an offensive threat who is the only player in the history of the NBA to average 20 points and 10 rebounds for four different teams.

Bio:
Moses Eugene Malone was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia. Malone attended Petersburg High School, playing three seasons for the Crimson Waves. Although Malone agreed to attend the University of Maryland


Malone was drafted in the third round of the 1974 ABA Draft by the Utah Stars where he played his first season of a professional basketball career, averaging 18.8 points and 14.6 rebounds.

To help in paying the Utah Stars' financial debts, Malone was sent to the Spirits of St. Louis during the 1975-1976 season.


After the 1975-1976 season, the NBA-ABA merger occurred and the Spirits of St. Louis didn't join the NBA. Therefore Malone was selected by the Portland Trailblazers in a dispersal draft but was traded to the Buffalo Braves where he played just two games and was then traded to the Houston Rockets.

In 1981, Malone would lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals against Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Celtics would win the series 4-2 after Malone averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds in the playoffs.

After the 1982 season, Malone was a restricted free agent looking for another place for succeeding opportunities in his career. Malone signed a six-year $13-million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, a team who has had playoff success with basketball legend Julius "Dr.J" Erving who has led the team to the Finals in 1977, 1980, and 1982 but would lose in all three series.


Malone made Philadelphia an instant favorite to winning the NBA championship. Joining a team with the alliances of Dr.J, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and Andrew Toney, Malone and his team completed the 1983 season with a 65-17 regular season win-loss record and would head to the 1983 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers winning the series 4-0.

In 1986, Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets, where he played for two seasons.

In 1988, Malone signed with the Atlanta Hawks where he played three seasons with the likes of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.

In 1991, Malone signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played for two seasons.

In 1993, Malone returned to the Philadelphia 76ers where he played 55 games as a reserve.

In 1994, Malone signed with the San Antonio Spurs where he played his final season joining forces with center David Robinson. At this point, Malone was the only active basketball player who played in the ABA.
Accolades:
MVP- 3(1979, 1982, 1983)
Championship- 1983
Final's MVP- 1983
ABA All-Star- 1975
NBA All-Star- 12(1978-1989)
Career Highs- 53pts, 27reb, 7ast, 6stl, 9blk
Work Cited:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Malone
2. https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Moses-Malone/Bests/4631
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnECcbtbyj4
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