San Antonio Spurs tickets

He would position himself so magnificently for rebounds...He knew where the ball was going. And he would go get it and stick it back in." -Hall of Fame center Bill Walton on Moses Malone.

Malone of the San Antonio Spurs was among the first players to successfully make the jump directly from high school basketball to the pros, a path that has become much more common in recent years. If no one in the Virginia high school ranks could stop the 6-foot-10 kid from Petersburg High from having his way, they could at least take solace in the fact few ABA or NBA big men could do it either.

Malone made an instant impact. He averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds in the first of his two ABA seasons before entering the NBA in 1976 with Buffalo. The Braves traded him after just two games to Houston, where in 1978-79 Malone led the league in rebounding (17.6) and won the first of his three MVP Awards. Two years later, he powered the Rockets to the 1981 NBA Finals.

Malone's small hands prevented him from "palming" a basketball, but they did not restrict him from making a huge impact on the boards. Some said he missed inside shots on purpose to pad his offensive rebounding numbers. No one could ever prove this, and even if they could, Malone's teams could hardy be upset. The ball wound up in the basket eventually. From the time the NBA began distinguishing between offensive and defensive rebounds in 1973-74 until Malone retired after 19 NBA seasons, no one grabbed more offensive boards. Only Robert Parish had more on the defensive end. Moses also retired as the NBA's career leader in free throws made.

His lasting legacy, however, was built in Philadelphia. Needing an inside presence to complement star forward Julius Erving and a talented backcourt of Andrew Toney and Mo Cheeks, the 76ers traded for Malone before the 1982-83 season. The results: a 65-17 regular season and 12-1 run through the playoffs for the championship. Malone was named MVP of both the regular season and the Finals.