The Washington Bullets made a splash in June 1986 when they acquired former three-time MVP Moses Malone along with Terry Catledge and first-round picks in 1986 and 1988 from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson.
He still had some game, earning two All-Star bids and All-NBA honors in 1986-87.
His stay with the Bullets was brief, though, as he signed with the
as an unrestricted free agent in August 1988.
In two seasons in Washington, Malone averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocks in 34.1 minutes per game, shooting .469/2-for-18/.806.
He was the first player to enter professional basketball straight out of high school when he signed with the ABA’s Utah Stars in August 1974. He was assigned to the Spirits of St. Louis when the Stars folded in December 1975.
When the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, Malone was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in an August 1976 dispersal draft before being traded to the Buffalo Braves in October of that year.
Six days later, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he earned MVP honors in 1978-79 and 1981-82, was a five-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA selection and an All-Defensive pick in 1978-79. Malone also led the NBA in rebounding three times.
In September 1982, he signed as a veteran free agent with Philadelphia, earning MVP honors in 1982-83 while leading the 76ers to the NBA title. A four-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA pick and an All-Defensive selection in 1982-83, Malone led the NBA in rebounding three times with the Sixers, as well.
He was an All-Star with the Hawks in 1989 and signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in July 1991. Malone returned to Philadelphia as a free agent in August 1993 and was waived in June 1994.
In August 1994, Malone signed with the San Antonio Spurs, retiring after the 1994-95 season.
He is 14th in NBA history with 1,329 games, 17th with 45,071 minutes played, fifth with 16,212 rebounds, 26th with 1,733 blocked shots, eighth with 27,409 points, 47th with an average of 20.6 points per game and 15th with an average of 12.2 rebounds per game.
Named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and the ABA All-Time Team in 1997, Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. He died from cardiovascular disease at the age of 60 on Sept. 13, 2015.
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