Moses Malone was a professional basketball player with a net worth of $5 million, who played in the ABA and NBA from 1974 to 1995, and was named NBA MVP three times. He earned a total of $13.9 million in salary during his career.
Moses Malone, a renowned professional basketball player, had accumulated a net worth of $5 million. Throughout his career, which spanned from 1974 to 1995, Malone played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded by many as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, he received the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award three times, led the league in rebounds six times, and won the 1983 NBA championship. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport, Malone was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility. Unfortunately, Moses Malone passed away on September 13, 2015, at the age of 60, due to complications from a heart attack. During his playing career, Malone earned a total of $13.9 million in salary, with his highest annual salary coming in the 1990 season from the Atlanta Hawks. Moses Malone was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia, and was primarily raised by his mother after his father was kicked out of the home due to alcohol abuse when Malone was just two years old. As a young adolescent, he attended Petersburg High School, where he excelled as a basketball player with the Crimson Wave, leading his team to consecutive undefeated seasons and Virginia state championships in his final two years. In 1974, Malone was named National High School Player of the Year, and although he initially intended to play collegiate basketball at the University of Maryland, he ultimately decided to turn professional instead. In the 1974 ABA draft, Malone was selected by the Utah Stars in the third round, making him the first player in modern professional basketball history to be chosen directly out of high school. Malone quickly proved himself, earning ABA All-Star and All-Rookie honors in his first professional season. However, his second season was cut short due to a leg injury, which caused him to miss the remainder of the season before the Utah Stars collapsed 16 games in. After that, Malone was sold to the Spirits of St. Louis, with whom he finished the 1975-76 season. Over the course of his first two professional seasons, Malone averaged 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Following the 1975-76 season, the ABA merged with the NBA, but Malone's team, the Spirits of St. Louis, was not selected to join the NBA. As a result, he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers, but was subsequently traded to the Buffalo Braves before the start of the 1976-77 season. Malone played only two games with the Braves before being traded again. Malone's career took off when he joined the Houston Rockets, where he set new NBA records with 437 rebounds in the regular season and 15 rebounds in the playoffs during his first season with the team. Despite missing significant playing time in his second season with the Rockets, Malone led the league with 380 rebounds and earned his first NBA All-Star selection in the 1977-78 season. The following season, Malone ascended to new heights, leading the NBA with a record 587 rebounds and achieving a career-best .540 shooting percentage, which earned him the NBA MVP award. Although he was less productive in the 1979-80 season, Malone still managed to help the Rockets reach the Conference Semifinals. In the 1980-81 season, Malone led the NBA with 14.8 rebounds per game and helped the Rockets advance to the NBA World Championship Series. Although the Rockets ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics, Malone's impressive averages of 22.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game across six games in the series were notable. Malone played one more season with the Rockets in 1981-82, concluding his tenure on a high note, with a career-high 31.1 points per game and his second NBA MVP award. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs but fell to the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round. Malone had another impressive season in 1983-84, leading the league in rebounds for a record fifth consecutive season, despite being limited to 71 games due to ankle injuries. The next season, he led the league in rebounds for a record sixth consecutive season, recording his 15,000th NBA point and his 10,000th NBA rebound. The Philadelphia 76ers, with whom Malone played, reached the Conference Finals but lost to the Celtics. In his final season with the team, Malone averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in 74 games before suffering an orbital fracture in his right eye at the end of March. Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986, where he averaged 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in his first season, scoring his 20,000th NBA point. The Bullets advanced to the 1987 playoffs but were swept in the first round by the Detroit Pistons. Prior to the 1988-89 season, Malone signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, earning his 12th consecutive and final NBA All-Star selection. The Hawks fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks. The team struggled in the 1989-90 season, missing the playoffs with a 41-41 record. In the 1990-91 season, Malone became the NBA career leader in free throws made, with 7,695, and scored his 25,000th career point and 15,000th career rebound. The Hawks advanced to the 1991 playoffs but were eliminated by the Pistons in the first round, marking Malone's final postseason appearance. In 1991, Malone signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent, but the team finished with a 31-51 record, tied for last place in the Central Division. Malone missed most of the 1992-93 season due to surgery on a herniated disc, and the Bucks once again finished last in their division. Malone was married to Alfreda, with whom he had two sons, Moses Jr. and Michael, before the couple divorced in 1992. Malone was arrested in 1993 for allegedly stalking his ex-wife and trespassing on her property. Later in his life, he dated Leah Nash, with whom he had a son named Micah. On September 13, 2015, Moses Malone passed away from complications of heart disease at a hotel in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was scheduled to play in a charity golf tournament.