(courtesy of Wikipedia)
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. He played center and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
A three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and ABA All-Time Team, Malone went straight from Petersburg High School in Virginia to a 21-year career in professional basketball. By the time Malone retired after 19 seasons in the NBA he was the last former ABA player active and held numerous distinctions in both leagues, including a championship ring and NBA finals MVP trophy won with the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. A prolific offensive rebounder, he was nicknamed "Chairman of the Boards"
Malone finished his career with the most combined ABA and NBA offensive rebounds (7,382), 35 percent over runner-up Artis Gilmore. Nine times he led his respective league in offensive rebounds, and five other times he finished in the top-3. He also holds NBA records for the most offensive rebounds in a career (6,731), season (587), and game (21). Malone would often rebound his own misses. He was a 13-time All-Star, and earned eight All-NBA selections, ranking seventh all-time with 29,580 points, and third with 17,834 rebounds. He is one of just nine players who have been named NBA MVP three or more times. He led the league in rebounds six times, including five straight from 1980 through 1985. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001.
AWARDS AND HONORS
1983 NBA Champion
1983 NBA Finals MVP
Three-time NBA MVP
13-time All-Star (ABA, 12× NBA)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2001)
Number 24 retired by the Houston Rockets
