Moses Malone Player History & Career Recognition

The Chairman of the Boards

One of the greatest rebounders ever, Moses Malone won his third NBA MVP Award after propelling Philadelphia to a 65-17 record in 1982-83. He famously predicted “Fo’ Fo’ Fo’,” declaring that the 76ers would sweep each round of the 1983 Playoffs. Malone led the team to a historic 12-1 postseason mark capped by a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. His prediction was updated to “Fo’ Fi’ Fo’” and engraved on the team’s championship rings.

Malone was named Finals MVP after averaging 26 points and 18 boards for the series, outrebounding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 73-30 over the four games.

In 1974, Malone was selected in the third round of the American Basketball Association Draft, making him the first player in modern basketball to enter a league directly following his senior year of high school. His 23-year professional career was comprised of two seasons in the ABA, splitting his time between the Utah Stars and Spirits of St. Louis, and 21 NBA seasons, in which he spent years as a member of the Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and San Antonio Spurs, along with his two separate stints in Philadelphia.

Combining his statistics from both leagues, Malone ranks 9th all-time in career points (29,580) and third in total rebounds (17,834).

AWARDS + Recognition

1 time NBA Champion

In his first season with the 76ers, Moses Malone helped to lead the team to its first NBA title since 1967, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in four games, after setting a record for highest winning percentage in a single postseason en route to a championship. The record stood until 2001.

1 time NBA Finals MVP

Malone averaged 25.8 points, 18 rebounds, and 2 assists on his way to claiming the 1983 NBA Finals MVP award. In the series clinching Game 4, he grabbed a team high 23 boards, outrebounding his opponent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who only recorded 7.

3 time NBA Most Valuable Player

Only 10 players in NBA history have won league MVP and Finals MVP in the same campaign. Malone accomplished this in 1983, averaging 24.5 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in 78 regular season games on his way to his first NBA title. He also won in 1979 and 1982 as a member of the Houston Rockets.

11 time NBA All-Star

In 11 total NBA All-Star appearances, Malone nearly averaged a double-double; he scored 11.6 points and grabbed 9.8 rebounds per game while only playing in about half the contest (24.6 minutes per).

8 time All-NBA Team

Malone was named to an All-NBA Team in seven consecutive seasons, with four First Team nods (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985) and three Second Team nominations (1980, 1981, 1983). He was recognized for the eighth and final time in 1985 when he was selected as a member to the All-NBA Second Team in 1987 as a member of the Washington Bullets.

6 time NBA Rebounding Leader

Malone won his first rebounding crown in 1979 and would later go on the lead the league in boards for five consecutive seasons (1981-1985). Between those six years, Malone grabbed a total of 6,987 rebounds, averaging 14.8 per game.

2 time NBA All-Defensive First Team

Malone’s only NBA All-Defensive First Team selection came in 1983, among the litany of other awards and recognitions he earned in the 76ers’ championship season. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1979 after averaging 17.6 rebounds as a member of the Rockets.

2 time NBA Anniversary Team

Malone was selected to both the NBA’s 50th (1997) and 75th (2022) Anniversary teams. The Houston Rockets (11) and Philadelphia 76ers (9) have the third- and fourth-most players named to the most recent list, respectively, with Malone playing a large part in the historical success for both franchises.

Fo’ Fo’ Fo’

After acquiring Moses Malone in the offseason prior to 1982-83, the team avenged the previous season’s NBA Finals loss, taking down the Lakers in four games to claim the franchise’s third title

Malone's arrival in Philadelphia rounded out the 1982-83 team with a starting five for the ages: Julius Erving (21.4 ppg), Bobby Jones (9.0 ppg), Andrew Toney (19.7 ppg), Maurice Cheeks (6.9 apg, 2 spg), and Malone (24.5 ppg, 15.3 rpg), four of whom have since been named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and their numbers retired for the Sixers. Malone was awarded regular season MVP as the Sixers dominated the Eastern Conference, finishing with a 65-17 record. Ahead of the postseason, Malone was asked how he thought his 76ers would perform in the playoffs; he replied: “Fo, Fo, Fo”, meaning his team would only need four games in each of the three best-of-seven series necessary to claim the championship. Because the Eastern Conference against the Bucks took an extra game, the saying has since been altered to “Fo, Fi, Fo”, which was engraved on the team’s championship rings.

It was a playoff run with only one loss, a record that still stands today. That mark was tied in 2001 when the Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, did the same, and again in 2017 by the Warriors. Malone, who was by then often referred to as “Big Mo” or “The Chairman of the Boards”, scored 25.8 points and grabbed 18 rebounds per game on his way to being named Finals MVP, and his legend continues to live on in Philadelphia for the entirety of that 1983 postseason run in which he averaged 26 points and 15.8 rebounds, leading the Sixers to the ultimate team accomplishment

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