How Good Was Moses Malone REALLY? 

Where do you rank Moses among the greatest Centers of All Time? NOTE: One huge thing I forgot to mention in the video… Moses wasn’t just a beast on the boards, but more specifically the OFFENSIVE boards, which are the harder ones to get. There are 8 players in NBA history with over 4,000 Offensive Rebounds. Robert Parish is 2nd All-Time with 4,598…. Moses has 6,731. That also doesn’t include his ABA years... Its laughable how much he dominates EVERYONE else in that area.

The Moses of the Bible parted the red sea. The Moses of the NBA parted the lane to get rebounds ☻

Olajuwon is my favorite player of all time, but he may never have become the player he became without Malones offseason tutorials/workouts when he was in college as a Cougar where he saw limited minutes his first year. He really didnt have to do that. Much respect.....r.i.p. Moses. One of the best to ever do it.

Moses, Barkley, and Rodman made rebounding entertaining.

Moses was relentless and persistent rebounder. Probably the best rebounder of all time. Not because of numbers but because of his heart just to get the ball. He would fight everybody just to the rebound.

As a Sixers fan, Moses is THE reason we won the title in ‘83. He has long arms so he was a monster on the boards. Moses is underrated simply because his career started in the 70’s and the media doesn’t care about the NBA until Bird/Magic came in 1979-80. It’s the same with the NFL as the media doesn’t care about anything before the Pre-Suberbowl Era as they don’t even count Championships only Superbowls. Vince Lombardi has 5 titles, but many fans wouldn’t know that cause the media only mentions he won Super Bowl 1 and 2. Moses and Kareem are forgotten when the media mentions the greatest Centers, so naturally younger generations will never know the true story. Only Baseball recognizes the WHOLE history as most young fans atleast know about Ruth, Cobb and Willie Mays. Oh yeah, Moses had the greatest prediction, “Fo, Fo, Fo!”

Moses Malone is the most underrated player of all time for sure, glad you're shedding light on his numbers and accomplishments. He definitely is among the best big men ever

The chairman of the boards

Moses is a top 5 center. That 83 Sixers team is one of the greatest ever. Especially defensively. 3 of the 5 spots on the All-NBA defensive 1st team...were sixers.

Moses is the most underrated center of all-time, no doubt. He wasn't necessarily pretty to watch because he had a sort of grind it out offensive game. He didn't have a sky hook or a beautiful jumper but he WAS super effective facing up or with his back to the basket. He wasn't the most athletic center either but he did know how to use his body and a number of fakes to free himself up. He also had a lot of heart and determination to rebound and score. His most epic battles were probably with Boston when Bird was young and when Malone was with Houston and then the Sixers. The 80s had a number of great players and Malone was one of them.

Moses was a beast--perhaps the most underrated NBA player ever? Especially excelled at one of the toughest and most important aspects of post play--offensive rebounding. He was a post player's post player, and anyone with a deep knowledge of rebounding holds him in awe.

I heard him say in an interview that he loved being physical around the net. And if a player decides to play him physically , the more he gets into the game. True legend of the game! He was a winner all the way. His points and rebounds per game were phenominal!

One of the most underrated and impactful players in NBA history in his prime. Beast of an offensive rebounder. Deserves his respect, "fo, for, fo." 3 time MVP.

The battles between Malone and Artis Gilmore were epic.

It broke my heart at how bad the Sixers whooped my Lakers in 1983. I remember thinking that I wasn't sure if any team could beat them and nothing has changed my mind since. Great vid 👍

In 1983, all of my high school buddies were big fans of the Dr. J, Moses Malone and the Sixers. So glad you highlighted Moses Malone. He deserves to be remembered and honored.

I'm Philly born and raised and we will always consider him a 76er! He was our MOSES who led us to the promised land...our 83 NBA Championship and his legendary FO FO FO comment about the post season. Thanks for remembering him in a very accurate video about his awesome career that is sometimes overlooked. Fantastic top 5 center! RIP MOSES!

I’ve had some arguments in these videos with the likes of Patrick Ewing, but Moses is a transcendent, top 20 player of all time. I agree that it was his constant movement to other teams that limited his appeal. His rebounding abilities may be the best amongst all NBA players.

Moses definitely belongs in the conversation for top all-time centers.

Technically speaking, Moses Malone was a student at the University of Maryland when he signed with the Stars. Malone was better that Shaquille O'neal.

Definitely the most underrated center ever.

Great video.....Moses Malone was an unstoppable force in his prime and even after his prime. Philly will never forgive Harold Katz for trading Mo away for what turned out to be a total bust of a trade. He consequently took the 76ers to the woodshed every time he played against them after going to Washington. RIP Moses!

Moses Malone was a three time NBA MVP and won a championship with the Sixers in 1983. He was the Finals MVP. Definitely one of the best centers and rebounders in NBA history.

His numbers a crazy and I know basketball but damn!!! I knew The Lakers did get the broom that year but he put those numbers on them and Kareem. Damn!

Charles Barkley describes him the best. Just listen to his story in open courts. I can't remember which ep it was though...

Wow, the rebounding adjusted numbers surprised me the most. The man was a beast and definitely deserves to be on that list

Monster stats, a ring, finals mvp and a 3X league mvp....come on man....!

ABOUT DAMN TIME SOMEONE DOES A SHORT BIO ON MOSES MALONE!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Moses is top 5 centers in my opinion he taught Hakeem everything but since he wasnt very good with the media it hurt him. Moses stats speak for itself and he dominated all the top centers in the late 70's and 80's just as Hakeem did in the 90's. Moses is so disrespected by people he one of the greatest.

As big as Shaq was he never put up numbers like Moses.

I now remember why we used to chant “Moses” like they did in The 10 Commandments. I was in 9th grade in 1980. He was like a mega star to us!

Great analysis of a once in a lifetime player. Pointing out that his legacy becomes diminished due to the number of teams he played for, is a point I've never heard mentioned and it's very valid. But just so you and others know, we Sixer fans do jealously claim Moses to the exclusion of all others. We're forever in his debt for taking us to the promised land. I followed his career ever since he left Petersburg, Virginia and almost went to play for Lefty Driesell at Maryland. Whenever the subject is "the greatest" I personally reduce the question down to "if I had to win one game, who would I want?" - after all, as Herm Edwards famously said "you play to win the game." Malone was like a BMW, the longer he ran, the stronger he got. He literally owned crunch time. If I had to win one game, I'd take Moses over Kareem, because he would simply outwork Kareem and was a superior rebounder. If I had to win one game I'd take him over Wilt because - and the piece fails to mention - Moses was a lethal free throw shooter. He was an absolute master of the 'and one!' Every game of the Sixers '83 championship finals they'd be behind in the 4th quarter. Malone would invariably draw the foul, step to the foul line, sweat dripping off his face like Niagara Falls, raise the ball over his head and line drive it off the back rim and down the twine....boom, boom, boom. I'm convinced those booms had a psychological effect on his opponents, as they realized each boom was but another nail in their coffin of defeat. One should not forget as well that Moses did suffer from a speech impediment - much more severe than Joe Biden's even - and in a hyper media conscious league, he'd shy away from the spotlight, leaving it to others. Self promotion was not his thing. It wasn't necessary. His game spoke volumes and it did so resoundingly. Thank you for this feature and allowing me the opportunity to reflect on the greatest center I've ever seen.

Malone's motor was always running and he had some of the fastest hands and the best feet of any big man in NBA history. During the finals against the Lakers, when the 76ers won the championship in 83, the TV announcer said that Kareem was the 2nd best center in that game, making him the 2nd best center in the league. I'd take a prime Moses to start my dream team every time.

His hands were too small to even palm a basketball, but he still dominated

I have him in my top 15 players of all time he was a beast FO FO FO

It's a shame that Moses only played w/ Barkley for two seasons, the first of which the latter came off the bench as a rookie. They would've made it a nightmare for their opponents to get rebounds for years afterwards.

Most Underrated Center! Most Underrated Player Ever! Most Underrated Superstar Ever!

Great point about the lack of a long-term image for Malone with a single team. Those '83 Sixers were phenomenal, though, probably deserve to be mentioned more often among great single seasons. Ranking centers, Moses at #6 seems fair to me.

Criminally underrated top 5 Center of all time. His moves were astonishing in the paint and is still one of the top three rebounders of all time. Moses Malone rest in peace.

Moses Malone is one of the top 3 centers EVER. He reminded me of Willis Reed in the way he played the game, and there was no better defender than Moses. I’m so glad I got to see him play. 🙏🙏

As a diehard Celtics fan, I feared and appreciated Moses Malone. One of the all time greats who never got his just due.

Moses to me is in the group, Youve nailed with the video.

Thank you for doing this vid. He is so underrated

First time i pressed like before i saw the video, 'cause I know you did good job on a video, but actually because Moses was a beast, know lot about him and he is super underrated

Love this video. A true man's man

Finally! Love this video! I am a lifelong Hawks fan (yes, we do exist) and had the pleasure to watch two of the all time best in the 80's live and in person when Nique and Moses played next to each other. Moses wasn't in his prime years then but he could still produce. Moses has been almost completely forgotten by modern fans (just like Nique sadly) and it is a crime against basketball. Moses is definitely in the mix of the greatest center in NBA history.

Great video! MOSES WAS A BEAST

OhMyGod I’ve been WAITING on this video!!!! I always see him towards the top of the list in stats.......but never really see highlights of him etc.

Yes sir!! Great video he absolutely should be considered a top 5 great! Those numbers speak for themselves.

Great video as always! Would you do one of these kind of videos on Ben Wallace? IMO he's very underrated. Thank you nonetheless for the amazing content that you provide us, really!

Exactly what you said: Wilt, Russel, Kareem, Shaq, Hakeem . . . those are the only centers I would even *consider* ranking about Moses Malone. No one else even has an argument over him

EXCELLENT CONTENT 👌🏿

Great video!

Good vid Moses Malone was a beast

I saw Moses as a rookie in the ABA...i remember when Dr J came down to try to dunk on him ....moses blocked the shot...he was ready...what impressed me was his speed..he could run..rest in peace Moses

Thank you so much. Moses is by far my favorite player of all time. Never once saw him play, but as a player you notice similarities between your game and the legends; for me, that legend was Moses. People stan a lot of things; again, for me that's Moses. I think he's sorely overlooked and underrated for the reasons you mentioned, but also because of his playstyle and prime which happened before the NBA really took off. Someone should do a 30 for 30 on him; he's 1 of the most historically relevant yet overlooked players and lesser players or sports figures have had them already. Jonny you forgot to really drive home how great he was at offensive rebounding. He is to that what Steph is to 3s. Also, the only players with more boards and buckets is Kareem and Wilt. There's so much to be said about him but I can't write it all lol. I will leave you and anyone else with a shoutout to 70sfan's hourlong supercut of Moses' game if you or anyone else is interested.

👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 phenomenal video thank you kindly for giving Musa his due

You are absolutely correct my friend, Moses was an all-time great and he doesn't get the respect or credit he deserves. He played against some of the greatest basketball players and teams of all time and more than held his own!

He was Hakeem Olajuwon's mentor and shaped him from the raw inexperienced rookie into the HOF diamond that he became!

Moses was great and definitely belongs on that elite list you mentioned. Thanks for this video to remind me, he was great but unfortunately mostly forgotten by people like me who only remember Bird and the Celtics and Magic and the Lakers in those years.

Moses to me is a top 5 center of all time. Beast on the boards with an elite low post game. I believe he gets overlooked since he played for so many teams. Bet you ask his peers; they don't overlook him. Thank you for this video, validates the status of one of the all time greats. I remember him from those houston & philly days. He'd easily avg. 20 reb. per game today.

Moses was relentless on the boards. Great work ethic and very humble even though he was very talented. So proud of his accomplishments, Petersburg, Va native.

Great video

Something I didn't know until fairly recently was that the '81 Rockets had a 40-42 record. This means Moses led the first (and only) squad with a losing record to the Finals since the '59 Lakers. Why is this man not talked about more?

Great video - giving Mo his due. Absolutely the greatest offensive rebounder without peer and definitely in the top 10 centers of all time which is saying something given the talent at that position. Definite impact on the NBA game itself in his day.

I remember watching the end of Moses career and the dude still was a bucket... You are right by him jumping teams that skewed how he is perceived but there is no doubt he deserves to be mentioned among the great centers of all time.

Johnny, I agree with your assessment of Moses being one of the greatest centers ever. All those other guys you mentioned played on long time outstanding championship teams. Only wish you had compared/posted career averages against Moses' for the 5 players you had mentioned.

Damn I didnt know he was that good. Great video.

I appreciate younger guys who do their research and commit to understanding the players and the game before their time, and to then take that knowledge and understanding to put it all in perspective. You can have a serious conversation as an actual student of the game with the old heads and not just talking Curry and LeBron like the casuals. Good job Jonny.

My boy right there!!!

The company you just described him with at the end of your vid, he DEFINATLY BELONGS! GREATEST REBOUNDER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!👊💪🌀...

Sixer fan and I loved his game. He was beast in the lane. Had a jumper , the dream shake, Heart, like no one else. Loved him.

ABSOLUTELY RIGHT !!!! 4,4 4.

He's probably the most overlooked legend ever.

Your right. He is right up there with all those big names. For the Sixers in 1982-83 he was a beast. Exactly what the Sixers needed.

Hey man, great vídeo. Could you do a World B. Free one. I feel like we don't give not even close the respect that man deserves. Thank you.

Right on!!

On the money. I watched Mose Malone play on TV as a teen, and what I remember of him is exactly how great of a player that this video shows. Mose was one of those rare great talented centers that didn't take a back seat to Kareem--and proved to be more than Jabbar's equal--in my opinion. Smart, agile and quick; a shooting guard in a 6'10" frame. A living nightmare to opposing centers throughout the league. Magnificence is his name.

I learned more from this video than the last half dozen I've seen in this series, thanx. I would use Moses Malone at power forward for almost any NBA team I was putting together, not at center. His rebounding was legendary - didn't he average the highest for offensive rebounds per game when he retired?

Great job

Chairman of the boards!!! Luv it ! Wilt averaged nearly DOUBLE his boards... for his career! A different era , i know , just had to throw that in there, lol. And , to be fair , .... Ive ALWAYS loved Moses. HARDEST working center of all time !

Thanks for this video about Moses Molone. He gets absolutely no respect when they mention the greatest centers. I'll always remember with the Rockets and the Sixers. I had no idea that he played for that many teams

4-4-4 Great player. Woefully underrated. Just Dominant. His greatest years were with the Rockets. Title with Sixers - where he was the difference maker - completed the picture for them and helped Dr J get his ring.

Anybody that wore those style of goggles back in the day was a beast.

I am glad he won a title despite the other great teams in that era. Many didn't because of Magic, Bird and then Jordan.

I got to be an honorary ballboy at a Spurs-Bullets game in the 80s and my seat was inside the basket support cage on the actual floor a few feet in front of the courtside seats. And oh my God, watching Moses Malone and Frank Brickowski just beating the hell out of each other at the rim that game from five feet away was insane. As physical as 1980s basketball looked on TV, it looked wholly different and so much more intense from that close. Moses must have been such a bastard to play against. I can't imagine trying to move that guy. Getting to watch Moses and Bernard King from that close is one of my greatest basketball memories.

i remember watching some of the games with the lakers and celtics with barkley in the team as well and i was thinking man these two are playing follow and volley ball in both baskets all game long..never seen anything like this since

I was fortunate enough to see him play a game in High School. He AVERAGED 40/20. Tall kids now average 18 and think they are ready for the NBA. It's unreal how good he was and became over his career- definitely overlooked and underappreciated in the history of the game. RIP Moses.

Moses Malone was definitely one of the best rebounders ever! A lot of people usually think of Defensive rebounds when it comes to the statistic since we discuss “total rebounds” for a player, but Moses was hands down one of the best Offensive Rebounders.

I watched one Moses Malone game. In it he was such a force.

Wow this guy is on my homework list those 83 finals numbers were absurd!!

Moses was a Beast! Was my favorite center when I was a youngin!!!

Moses Malone was good enough to get drafted out of high school and average 18 pts 14 rebs as a rookie Moses Malone was good enough to tell Charles Barkley what to do and when to do it, and Chuck would listen

I was fortunate to watch all those great centers. Wilt was the best and Mo was right behind him.

Moses came out of Highschool when it was unheard of & Got Busy from Day 1.. 😎💪💪💪

Fo Fo Fo.... Need I say more! Straight Baller!

You are totally on the money, sad we sometimes forget great players

i always had him in that group the dream even tell you moses got his game where it was. they said moses loved ball so much while he was in houston he still went to the local gym for pickup games

With Moses intensity hustle drive and quick jump at only 6'10,I place him up there at with Wilt C.over all of the rest,Great video😀

As a Milwaukee Bucks fan, when the 76ers got him for the '82-'83 season, I thought, "oh sh-t!". His coming out party was obviously that '83 Championship. But he did play in the Finals for Houston in 1981. Thing was, not many of those games were shown in prime time (other than the local team's respective markets) because that was during the period when CBS would tape delay it's finals coverage until after the local news during the week when night games were played.