Moses Malone - by Paul Knepper (Hardcover)

About the Book

The biography of legend Moses Malone, the first modern-day player to jump from high school basketball to the pros, paving a path for future star players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James to follow.

Book Synopsis

Moses Malone overcame abject poverty in segregated Petersburg, Virginia, to become the first modern-day basketball player to jump directly from high school to the pros, paving a path for future stars such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James to follow. Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet tells the story of Malone's ascent in the early 1970s to becoming the premier player in the world for a five-year period.

The young Malone prophesied his improbable rise and succeeded where others later failed because of his strength of character and unparalleled work ethic. Malone dominated his years in the NBA with a relentless determination that made him the greatest offensive rebounder in basketball history--a record he holds to this day. From 1979 to 1983 he won three of the NBA's Most Valuable Player awards and with Julius Erving helped to deliver the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA championship in 1983. He remains one of just nine players to win the NBA MVP award three or more times.

In many ways Malone was an anti-superstar. He lacked a signature move, displayed almost no ego, and shunned the spotlight to the detriment of his commercial appeal. Shy by nature and self-conscious about a speech impediment, Moses kept his distance from the media, some of whom mistook his reticence for stupidity. A man of few words, he possessed a magnetism rooted in humility, authenticity, and passion.

Moses was a giver, equally generous in assisting a friend as he was mentoring younger players, including Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. While his contemporaries preened for the cameras, Moses remained the "lunch pail superstar," a quiet and humble teammate who expressed himself through his tireless effort on the court and compassion off it.

Review Quotes

"A groundbreaking read on one of the more quietly fascinating--and somewhat unheralded--figures in NBA history. Through his meticulous storytelling, Paul Knepper sheds ample light on the life of Moses Malone, who became one of the most important figures the league has ever seen."--Chris Herring, New York Times bestselling author of Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks


"Moses Malone has a dream biographer in Paul Knepper, someone who shares Malone's tenacity, wit, and passion for his craft. It's time younger generations learned more about the greatness and giving soul that was Malone. I consider this magnificent book essential reading to understanding one of the NBA's all-time underrated pioneers."--Mirin Fader, author of the New York Times bestseller Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA Champion

"Moses Malone is one of the most underappreciated players in NBA history, so it's sadly fitting that it has taken decades for a proper biography on Petersburg, Virginia's, finest to arrive. That's why I'm elated that Paul Knepper has invested the love and care in crafting Malone's life story, from his fabled high school days to his work as the 1980s utilitarian, brilliant superstar and beyond. Knepper memorably puts a misunderstood player and man in his place among pro basketball's giants. Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet is worth the wait."--Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA

"Moses Malone might be the most underrated player in basketball history, a genuinely great athlete with a great but mostly forgotten story. He has long deserved a biography that told that story in all its richness. Paul Knepper has delivered that book. Every hoops fan should read this."--Mike Sielski, author of Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk


"An incredibly detailed accounting of the life and career of Moses Malone, giving one of the NBA's greatest ever a biography worthy of his achievements on and off the floor."--Jake Fischer, author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever

About the Author

Paul Knepper is a freelance writer who covered the NBA as a featured columnist for the Bleacher Report website for two years. He is the author of The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks, and the Brawlers That Almost Won It All.