By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
What has been a tragic offseason for iconic members of the Sixers family continued Sunday with the news that Hall of Fame center Moses Malone passed away due to an apparent heart attack. He was just 60 years old. Malone’s untimely passing comes just weeks after that of All-Star center Darryl Dawkins, and a few months following the death of longtime stats guru Harvey Pollack.
Malone was unquestionably one of the greatest players, and arguably the hardest worker on the glass, the game of basketball has ever known. Sadly, my personal memory of the ‘Chairman of the Boards’ is limited to a 55-game stint back with the Sixers in 1993-94 during the tail end of his prestigious career, but his Hall of Fame body of work is simply astounding.
The first ever player to jump straight from high school to the pros, joining the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974, Moses went on to be voted one of the 50 Best players in NBA history. He finished his career as an 11-time All-Star and 3-time NBA MVP and the all-time leader in offensive rebounds, with NBA averages of 21.9 points and 12.0 boards per game. His statistical peak during about a decade from the late-70’s to late-80’s has been literally unmatched since then:
Reading about Moses Malone and came across this: From 1979-87 25.5 pts, 14.1 rebs per game. No one has averaged that once in a season since.
— Whiskey Sam McGee (@WhiskeySamMcGee) September 14, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsOf course, Malone endeared himself to Sixers fans for the rest of time for his famous “fo’, fo’, fo'” prediction prior to the 1983 playoffs. In his first season with Philadelphia, Moses had averaged 23.5 points and 14.7 rebounds during the regular season to help lead the Sixers to a 65-17 record, before then declaring the team would not lose a game on their way to hoisting the championship trophy.
He was almost right, as the Sixers went 12-1 in those playoffs, capped by a NBA Finals sweep of the Lakers. Malone recorded 26 points and 15.8 rebounds per game during the Finals on his way to MVP honors. Though it doesn’t hold up over time against the famous dynasties of the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, etc., that 82-83 club is still widely considered as one of the greatest teams of all-time.
The ’83 Sixers were the ’85 Bears of basketball. Didn’t sustain it. But for one year, they’d have beaten anybody.
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) September 13, 2015
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As dominant as he was on the court, Moses was also universally hailed as a true professional and a class act off of it. He was known for his mentorship of young teammates (Charles Barkley called him ‘Dad’) and his humility. That 82-83 club succeeded largely because Moses let the Sixers remain ‘Dr. J’s team’ upon his arrival.
To this day, he remains the only ‘Moses’ to ever suit up in the NBA. While another player may eventually come along with that name, there will never be another Moses Malone.
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