The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares

Greatest NBA Player #17: Moses Malone-167.07

For a three-time Most Valuable Player, Moses Malone almost never gets mentioned as a top-20 player. That is criminal, but at least he comes in at 17 in terms of total win shares. Now, if we were to include the 11 win shares he racked up while playing in the ABA, that would put him in the top 12 ahead of three MVPs.

We won’t, since we’re focusing solely on the NBA. Even then, Malone put up monster numbers, including averaging at least 20 points and 11 rebounds per game for 11 straight seasons. At his peak, he was an unstoppable, bruising post scorer, though there are many who believe that he intentionally missed shots to pad his rebounding totals. Still, Malone was an efficient offensive player.

Like most of the dominant centers on this list, he lived at the free throw line, averaging at least 10 free throw attempts per game for six straight seasons. However, he hit an impressive 77% of his free throws, whereas other greats such as Chamberlain and Shaq literally missed out on thousands of points.

His ability to attack the offensive glass and hit his free throws allowed him to put up more than 27,000 points and 16,000 rebounds, comparable to Shaq. Then again, Shaq was a much better rim protector and defensive rebounder, which explains why he ranks slightly higher in terms of win shares. All things considered; Malone’s placement seems to be accurate.