Sixers great Moses Malone’s statue unveiled, his jersey retired and raised to Wells Fargo Center rafters
Former teammates talk about how important Moses Malone was to the 76ers during his time in Philadelphia.
How significant was Moses Malone?
Consider the anecdotes shared at the unveiling of his statue Friday on 76ers Legends Walk outside of the team’s training complex, and ahead of Friday night’s ceremony when Malone’s No. 2 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters at Wells Fargo Center.
He was so significant that the brother of Chris Heck, Sixers president of business operations, chose his confirmation name not of a saint like Joseph, Michael, Peter or Patrick. No, when Bruce Heck went up to the bishop to announce his confirmation name in front of a packed church, he chose Moses.
Like Moses Malone.
He was so significant that Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Sixers, recalled shouting out “MOSES MALONE!” after snagging a rebound playing basketball as a kid with his brothers.
He was so significant that Elton Brand, the team’s general manager, never really had conversations about the game itself when speaking with Malone during his playing days in Philadelphia. Instead, the two talked of life lessons and how to be a man.
He was so significant that Julius “Dr. J” Erving, one of the greatest players to not only play in Philadelphia but to play the game of basketball, knew Malone’s impact when Erving was asked to welcome a young 19-year-old who was making his way to the ABA.
But it wasn’t just the Philadelphia community that took notice of Malone’s impact.
Erving spoke of a spiritual mission that he, former Sixers general manager Pat Williams, and other players took to China in 1982 to spread the gospel and share bibles through the game of basketball. While there, they got some news that shook the balance of power in the league.
“Pat came in and said, ‘We just got Moses Malone,’ ” Erving said. “And M.L. Carr, who was playing for the Boston Celtics, says ‘Uh oh. There goes the championship…’ That day we got Moses, he knew it was over.”
And it was. The Sixers won the championship that season, sweeping the Magic Johnson- and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Lakers in the Finals to cap off a playoff run in which they went 12-1. Malone let Abdul-Jabbar know it, too.
“He used to always say, ‘Oh, I love playing against Kareem, I just love it. Everybody thinks he’s the man, but he never beats me,’ ” Erving said. “He said that to Kareem. I said, ‘Don’t get him upset’ and he goes ‘I don’t care.’ ”
Malone’s sculpture now joins Erving, Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham, and Wilt Chamberlain on 76ers Legends Walk.
But even this wasn’t easy to do.
During a 4-hour discussion with Malone in 2015, O’Neil had to convince Malone to be celebrated the way that he was this afternoon. And it was in the way that Malone would’ve wanted: To have his teammates be recognized alongside Malone.
“It’s a fitting tribute,” Erving said. “It’d be so good if Moses could see it himself.”
The Sixers honored Malone with video tributes during the game and raised his jersey number to the rafters in a halftime ceremony during Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. The banner included the names of all of Malone’s Sixers teammates.
Scott grew up a huge Iverson fan
Mike Scott has something in common with one of the all-time great Sixers, which has led the team’s new backup power forward to have a lot in common with his new city’s fans.
He, like the city, is a huge fan of Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who grew up not too far from Scott on the Virginia Peninsula. Iverson, 43, is from Hampton, Va. Scott’s hometown of Chesapeake, Va. is around 30 miles away.
Like Iverson and Sixers shooting guard JJ Redick, Scott, 30, came out of renowned Virginia program Boo Williams AAU. Iverson, Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning, and J.R. Reid are perhaps the most notable alumni of the organization based in southeast Virginia.
“He did so much for the Tidewater area, 757 area,” Scott said. “I grew up watching him a lot. I know this is like his second home. So I was a big fan of AI.”
Now that he’s with the Sixers, part of Wednesday’s Tobias Harris trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Scott looks to duplicate some of the non-statistical things that made Iverson a fan favorite here.
“I want to come here and have that same passion he had,” he said. “You know, win games, be physical, be gritty, make shots. I want to play for a championship.”
The 6-foot-8, 235-pounder is known for his clutch three-point shooting. A seven-year veteran, he took career averages of 7.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 35.7 percent three-point shooting into Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. His best campaign came last season with the Washington Wizards, when he averaged 8.8 points and shot a career-best 40.5 percent on threes.