A Comparison of Lebron James and Moses Malone
Comparing Lebron James and Moses Malone
There is no doubt Lebron James and Moses Malone had very different careers! They come from different eras and they didn’t even play the same position.
You must be wondering, why is it even worth comparing the two? You may also be wondering why they chose not to go to college.
In Moses Malone’s case, his family was in dire need of money and he didn’t appear to be ready to enter a four-year college due to several issues, such as speech problems.
Lebron quite simply felt that he would not find college beneficial- and he felt that it was a good business decision at the time.
They both went straight from high school to the pros. Malone actually went to the American Basketball Association, before later joining the NBA.
This is a decision that a lot of people would boo, as not staying until junior or senior year can greatly impede progress both as a person and a basketball player.
Those who hold that view in a sense have “won”, as the NBA has banned the practice of players going straight from high school to the league.
This happened as a part of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, which started during the 2005-2006 season.
Malone was one of the first basketball players in league history to make the jump straight from high school- and James was one of the somewhat newer players to have done it.
It wasn’t too long after James entered the league that the NBA banned the option of high school players going straight to the NBA.
However, these two players- despite not going to college- were able to make an impact in the league right off the bat.
Both basketballers played an instrumental role in securing a combined five championships for their respective teams (four for James and one for Malone).
Moses Malone
If you’re a younger basketball fan, you may not remember Moses Malone. That’s because he played the bulk of his career with Philadelphia- and most of his career was aside Julius Erving or “Dr. J”. He retired in 1995.
The 76ers were often overlooked in this era of basketball due to the fact that he also played in the same era as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were credited with putting the NBA back on the map.
The 76ers were in fact the only team to win an NBA championship in the 1980s outside of the Celtics, Lakers and Pistons.
Malone’s High School Career
Malone went to high school at Saint Petersburg High School in Virginia, where he would often play until 2 in the morning in his PF Flyers during his high school years.
Malone was a relatively late bloomer, which is unusual in this post. He didn’t actually start playing basketball until he was 13 years old.
As a matter of fact, only a year earlier he was already 6’3 and eventually grew to 6’10.
Once Malone entered high school, he led Saint Petersburg to two state championships and put them on a 50 game winning streak.
Malone in the ABA
After leaving high school for the ABA, Malone’s success didn’t stop. He had no issues fitting in with the pros, as by that time he was fully grown and he was only slightly shorter than the tallest centers in the league.
This didn’t stop him becoming a dominant force!
In fact, a lot of Malone’s numbers actually rank with some of the all time greats, such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Now that we’ve covered Malone, let’s look at Lebron James.
Lebron James
Lebron James attended Saint Mary High School in Akron, Ohio and he was extremely dominant during his time there, posting an 101-6 record during his tenure.
During his high school career, he had only one loss. This was when his coach circled a specific game on his calendar and he wanted his players to understand what it was like to play at a higher level, as they were scheduled to play in division 2 the following year.
As a matter of fact, this event was so epic that players remember it decades later, just like it was yesterday.
James in the NBA
One of the things that are so unique about James’ career in the NBA is that he has won a league title with three different NBA teams.
This includes his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, along with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
When leaving Cleveland for the first time, James chose to make a little spectacle over what he might do next.
He dubbed it “the decision” and announced his decision to leave for Miami on national TV, where he joined Chris Bosch and Dwayne Wade. They would eventually win a championship together!
James came back to Cleveland and he brought a championship to his home state, but he also won one with the Lakers as well.
Lebron James in Recent Years
Over the last few years, James has become famous for trying to influence who he gets to play with on the court.
This has become an accepted practice throughout professional sports, due to the fact that players generally do not spend very long with a team these days.
In the 1980s, it was common for the best teams in the NBA to have their first six to eight players stick around for five + years.
However, for players up to the 2020s, it’s strictly a business- and most of the time they will go where the money is, or where they can win a championship.
