Moses Malone

Moses Eugene Malone was born in Petersburg, Virginia, raised by his mother Mary in a two-room house. Leading Petersburg High School to 50 consecutive wins and two state championships, Malone made history in 1974 by signing with the Utah Stars of the ABA at age nineteen, bypassing college to become the first modern athlete to leap directly from high school to professional basketball.

Moving to the NBA after the ABA merger, Malone established himself as the most punishing offensive rebounder in basketball history with the Houston Rockets, winning the NBA MVP award in 1979 and 1982 while leading Houston to the 1981 NBA Finals. Rather than trying to out-jump opponents, Malone used relentless positioning, rapid second-and-third jumping, and anticipation, famously treating his own missed layups as deliberate assists to himself.

In 1982, Malone was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, joining Julius Erving. When asked for his playoff prediction in 1983, Malone famously muttered: 'Fo', fo', fo'' (predicting four-game sweeps in all three rounds). The 76ers came within one game of fulfilling his prophecy, going 12-1 ('Fo', fi', fo') to capture the 1983 NBA championship, with Malone being named Finals MVP and regular-season MVP in the same season. Over 21 professional seasons, Malone grabbed an all-time record 6,731 offensive rebounds, finishing with over 27,000 points and 16,000 rebounds.