Moses Malone, a three-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player and a key component of the Philadelphia 76ers' 1982-83 NBA title team, as well as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, passed away in his sleep on Sunday morning at Norfolk, Virginia at age 60.
Mr. Malone held the distinction of becoming the first high school basketball player to go directly to the pros when, at age 19, he signed on in 1974 with the Utah Stars of the old American Basketball Association.
After having starred for Utah in his first pro season, Moses wound up with the Spirits of St. Louis when the Stars' franchise collapsed during the 1975-76 season.
When the NBA and ABA merged in 1976, Moses, whose NBA rights were originally owned by the Portland Trail Blazers (who had selected him in a dispersal draft of former ABA players), was acquired by the Houston Rockets in a trade.
Mr. Malone would be a key part of the Rockets team that reached the 1981 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Boston Celtics.
In 1982, Moses would join the Philadelphia 76ers and teamed up with fellow former ABAer Julius Erving and held lead the Sixers to the 1983 title when they swept the defending champions Los Angeles Laker in four straight games.
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