Moses Eugene Malone is widely considered as of the greatest NBA centers in history. He was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia. He attended Petersburg High School and was set to attend college at University of Maryland to play basketball. However, he was recruited by the American Basketball Association to play for the Utah Stars in 1974, so he skipped college and went straight to play for the ABA. He was the first player to become professional straight after high school. He was 19 years old, and stood 6 feet and 10 inches tall. He played forward for a while before his lanky physique became more muscular, and then started playing as a center. After playing for the Utah Stars, Malone joined another team called “Spirits of St. Louis”. He had an impressive record, with an average of 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. In 1976, the NBA and ABA merged, but Malone’s team Spirits of St. Louis was one of the only teams that chose not to join the NBA. He was later officially selected by the Portland Trailblazers.

Before playing even one regular season with the Trailblazers, Malone was transferred to the Buffalo Braves. This did not last long either, and just after two games, he was transferred to the Houston Rockets. His record with the Rockets was impressive and he helped them to reach the Eastern Conference finals, which his team lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. An unfortunate injury caused him to miss the last 23 games of his second season with the Rockets but his record of total offensive rebounds was still the highest in that season. The 1978-79 season was one of Malone’s best in his entire career. He averaged 24.8 points that season as well as 17.6 rebounds, which was the highest of his career. He was awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award that season. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team as well as the NBA All-Star Game.

The following season, Moses Malone continued his high scoring streak and ranked fifth in the league in points scored. The Houston Rockets made it to the playoffs that