Moses Malone Net Worth

What was Moses Malone's Net Worth?

Moses Malone was a professional basketball player who had a net worth of $5 million. Moses Malone played in the ABA and the NBA in a career spanning from 1974 to 1995. Regarded by many as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, he was named NBA MVP three times, led the NBA in rebounds a total of six times, and won the 1983 NBA championship. Malone was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility. Unfortunately, Moses died on September 13, 2015, at the age of 60 after suffering from an apparent heart attack.

Career Earnings

During his career, Moses earned a total of $13.9 million in salary. His highest annual salary came in 1990 season from the Atlanta Hawks.

Early Life and High School

Moses Malone was born on March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia. He was primarily raised by his mother, as his father was kicked out of the home due to alcohol abuse when Malone was two years old. As an adolescent, he attended Petersburg High School, where he was a star basketball player with the Crimson Wave. In his final two years of high school, Malone helped his team to consecutive undefeated seasons and Virginia state championships. He was named National High School Player of the Year in 1974. Although Malone went on to sign a letter of intent to play collegiate basketball at the University of Maryland, he ultimately decided to turn professional instead.

ABA Career

In the 1974 ABA draft, Malone was chosen by the Utah Stars in the third round. This made him the first player in modern professional basketball history chosen straight out of high school. Malone proved his prowess right out of the gate, earning ABA All-Star and All-Rookie honors in his first professional season. His second season was far less productive, as a leg injury took him out of play completely before the Stars collapsed 16 games into the season. After that, Malone was sold to the Spirits of St. Louis, with which he concluded the 1975-76 season. He finished his first two professional seasons having averaged 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.

Buffalo Braves

Following the 1975-76 season, the ABA merged with the NBA. However, Malone's team, the Spirits of St. Louis, was not chosen to join the NBA. As a result, he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. However, the Blazers traded him to the Buffalo Braves before the start of the 1976-77 season. Malone ended up playing just two games with the Braves before he was traded.

Houston Rockets

Malone had his career breakthrough with the Houston Rockets. In his first season with the team, he set new NBA records with 437 rebounds in the regular season and 15 rebounds in the playoffs. Despite missing significant playing time in his second season with the Rockets, in 1977-78, Malone led the NBA with 380 rebounds and earned his first NBA All-Star selection. He ascended to new heights during the 1978-79 season, leading the NBA with a new record of 587 rebounds and posting a career-best .540 shooting percentage. Malone was named the NBA MVP for the season. He was less productive in the 1979-80 season, but managed to help the Rockets make it to the Conference Semifinals.

In the 1980-81 season, Malone led the NBA with 14.8 rebounds per game and helped the Rockets reach the NBA World Championship Series. Although he put up impressive averages of 22.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game across six games in the series, it wasn't enough for the Rockets to overcome the Boston Celtics. Malone played one more season with the Rockets in 1981-82, concluding his tenure on a high note. That season, he averaged a career-high 31.1 points per game and again led the NBA in rebounds. For the second time in his career, Malone earned the NBA MVP award. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs, but fell to the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round.

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Philadelphia 76ers, 1982-86

Having become a restricted free agent following the 1981-82 season, Malone signed an offer sheet of six years with the Philadelphia 76ers. He had immediate success in his first season with the team in 1982-83, leading the NBA in rebounds for the fourth time in his career and earning a second consecutive NBA MVP award. With his teammates Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones, Malone helped the Sixers completely dominate the season with a 65-17 record. The team continued its historic dominance in the playoffs, going 12-1 and sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA World Championship Series. Malone was named the MVP of the series, having averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds per game.

Malone had another impressive season in 1983-84, again leading the league in rebounds despite being limited to 71 games due to ankle injuries. He led the league in rebounds for a record fifth consecutive season in 1984-85, a season that saw him record his 15,000th NBA point and his 10,000th NBA rebound. The Sixers went on to reach the Conference Finals, where they lost to the Celtics. In the 1985-86 season, his final one with the team, Malone averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in 74 games. His season ended early after he suffered an orbital fracture in his right eye at the end of March.

Washington Bullets

Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986. In his first season with the team, he averaged 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, and scored his 20,000th NBA point. The Bullets advanced to the 1987 playoffs, where they were swept in the first round by the Detroit Pistons; the team would go on to lose to the Pistons again in the first round of the 1988 playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks

Prior to the 1988-89 season, Malone signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. That season, he averaged 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and earned his 12th consecutive and final NBA All-Star selection. In the playoffs, the Hawks fell in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks. The team struggled in the 1989-90 season, going 41-41 and missing the playoffs. In the 1990-91 season, Malone became the NBA career leader in free throws made, with 7,695. He also scored his 25,000th career point and 15,000th career rebound. The Hawks advanced to the 1991 playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Pistons in the first round. This would be Malone's final postseason appearance.

Milwaukee Bucks

In 1991, Malone signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent. Despite his best efforts, he could only help the Bucks to a 31-51 record in the 1991-92 season, tied for last place in the Central Division. Malone subsequently missed the majority of the 1992-93 season due to surgery on a herniated disc, and the Bucks once again finished last in their division.

Philadelphia 76ers, 1993-94

As a free agent, Malone returned to the Sixers for the 1993-94 season. Serving as a backup and mentor to rookie Shawn Bradley, he appeared in 55 games as a reserve and averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

San Antonio Spurs

Malone concluded his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs in the 1994-95 season. As a backup center to David Robinson, he played in 17 games and averaged 2.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. In the final NBA game of his career, Malone made a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Personal Life and Death

With his wife Alfreda, Malone had two sons named Moses Jr. and Michael. The couple divorced in 1992 after Alfreda sued Malone for cruelty and adultery and took out a restraining order against him. In early 1993, Malone was arrested in Galveston, Texas for allegedly stalking his ex-wife, trespassing on her property, and threatening to kill her. Later in his life, he dated Leah Nash, with whom he had a son named Micah.

On September 13, 2015, Malone passed away from complications of heart disease at a hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. He had been scheduled to play in a charity golf tournament that day, but was found unresponsive in his room and reportedly wearing a heart monitor.

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