Houston Rockets: Top 15 Greatest All-Time (1-5)

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May 6, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; General view of shirts on the seats before game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

2. Moses “Chairman of the Boards” Malone

Arguably the Rockets best big man (depending on who you ask) and no doubt a bona-fide superstar and one of the best players to ever be drafted right out of high school, Moses Malone comes in at #2.

In six seasons with the Rockets, the big man averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds per game, not to mention winning two of his three MVP’s with the team, and also helping lead the Rockets to a 1981 Finals appearance in which they lost to the Boston Celtics who had a guy named Larry Bird.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, Malone’s relationship with them soured when there was a change of hands of ownership when successful Houston businessman Charlie Thomas bought it for $11 million in 1982.

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Thomas felt that Malone’s $2 million salary — about $4.7 million in 2015 dollars — didn’t necessarily fit his business plan and Malone eventually signed a six-year, $13.2 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers as a restricted free agent the following season.

It’s amazing how far the NBA has evolved, Malone’s top-tier salary would be considered the mid-point in the present day, not even close to what players are making these days.

Although Malone fell short of the getting the chip with the Rockets, he eventually did so by teaming up with high-flying Julius Erving by getting his championship with the 76ers — the franchise’s most recent — in 1983. He was also named the NBA Finals MVP after cruising through the 1983 playoffs with a 12-1 record.

Malone also made the illustrious top 50 greatest players of all-time list. He finished with close to 30,000 points, and that’s not even counting the years before he transitioned to the NBA from his ABA days. No doubt Malone is not only one of the most underrated Rockets of all-time, but one of the most underrated players in NBA history.

Although he recently passed away last month, Malone’s extensive body of work of 20 seasons has set the bar high for any center that’s trying to make their mark in today’s NBA and will be a tough act to follow.

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