RICHMOND – During his 20 years in the NBA, Moses Malone received thunderous applause from arenas full of fans. On Thursday, four months after his death, the NBA legend received another show of appreciation – from members of the Virginia Senate.
The Senate passed a resolution to commemorate Malone, a Petersburg native who died of heart disease at age 60. The measure was sponsored by Sens. Rosalyn Dance of Petersburg and R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County.
The resolution noted that Malone “grew up in the Delectable Heights community and was a standout athlete from a young age; at Petersburg High School, he led the Crimson Wave to 50 consecutive wins and back-to-back state titles in 1974 and 1975.”
Malone was the first player to enter a professional basketball league immediately after high school – initially the American Basketball Association and then the NBA. He played for the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Bullets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs. He earned NBA Most Valuable Player awards in 1979, 1982 and 1983.
Malone averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per contest during his 20-year tenure. Often referred to as the “Chairman of the Boards” for his rebounding, Malone ranks fifth all-time in rebounds and eighth all-time in scoring.
“After his well-earned retirement from professional basketball in 1995, Moses Malone returned to the Petersburg area to seek new opportunities to serve the community,” Senate Joint Resolution 16 stated.
Malone died in his sleep on Sept. 13 in Norfolk, where he was scheduled to play in a charity golf tournament.
After the Senate agreed to the resolution, it was sent to the House for consideration.
Capital News Service is a student-operated news reporting program sponsored by the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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