● How Moses Malone mentored a young Charles Barkley
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2015
- When Charles Barkley swaggered into Philadelphia as the No. 5 overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft, he fully expected to take the city by storm.
Instead, he was thrust into a basketball environment teeming with veterans who had no time to wait for the new kid to hit his stride.
"I was really struggling in the beginning," Barkley admitted.
Barkley said he reported to camp weighing close to 300 pounds. Few in the Sixers' organization, particularly coach Billy Cunningham, saw the humor in his nickname -- the Round Mound of Rebound. Barkley, who expected to step in and be a starter, saw limited action in the early days of the season.
He turned to the one veteran who offered the most encouragement -- the imposing Moses Malone -- and asked him for some feedback.
"I pulled Moses aside and asked him, 'Why am I not playing more?'" Barkley recalled on Sunday.
Malone turned, looked him up and down and declared, "You're fat and you're lazy, that's why. You can't play basketball if you're not in shape."
Moses instructed the rookie to lose 10 pounds, then told him to meet him at the gym an hour ahead of practice the following morning. For the next month, he trained Barkley before and after the team workouts. Barkley shed 15 pounds in a week's time and started to notice a difference in his stamina.
"So now I'm playing a little bit," Barkley said, "and Moses says to me, 'Lose 10 more.' I get down to 275 and I'm close to breaking into the starting lineup and the big man tells me, 'Ten more. Give me 10 more.' By the time he was done with me, I was down to 255 pounds."
Barkley started the final 60 games of the Sixers' season, averaged 14 points and eight rebounds a game and was named to the All-Rookie Team.
"He never said anything about what he did for me. Most guys, when they mentor a young player like that, they go around saying, 'Yeah, that was me. I did that.' Not Moses. He never told anybody. And that was the best part."
Charles Barkley
"And, as they say, the rest is history," Barkley said.
Barkley never forgot the kindness the notoriously private Malone displayed toward him in his early days as a pro. He never would have become an MVP or one of four players who amassed 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists, he insisted, without Moses' guidance.
"He never said anything about what he did for me," Barkley said. "Most guys, when they mentor a young player like that, they go around saying, 'Yeah, that was me. I did that.' Not Moses. He never told anybody. And that was the best part."
Once Malone retired, whenever Barkley saw his old teammate, which was a handful of times a season, he always greeted him in the same manner: "Hey, Dad!"
"I saw him Friday night at the Hall of Fame," Barkley said. "I thanked him again for making me the player I became, like I always do."
Moses Malone died Sunday, two days after Barkley embraced him warmly and promised, "I'll see you soon."
He knows Moses had a reputation for being aloof, even difficult, at times. When asked if he wished the rest of the basketball world knew him as he did, Barkley answered, "No, not really. I'm honored to have known the real man, not the one people supposed he was. When he got into the gym with his teammates, he was one of the best guys in the world.
"I'm crushed he's gone. He was my guy. Forever." - กีฬา
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Moses Malone played 21 years and averaged 20 and 12 for his career 😱 def one of the most underrated players of all time
One of the most underrated players of all time considering most young fans don’t know him
I would say he's probably the most underrated. If you look at his numbers over a long span, they're pretty crazy for someone who is never even mentioned in discussions of the best big man ever.
Moses Malone was a beast … I never saw anyone cheap shot or hard foul him. Opposing players feared-and respected him.
He practiced hard with Olajuwon in Houston. Without his mentorship, Hakeem wouldn't have become a NBA champion. Hakeem always had great respect for him.
30 years later Hakeem was helping Lebron.
Young kids just don’t know. What’s worse... they don’t seem to care to know.
@@ezsmith3765 Yes indeed. It's sad. Kobe benefited a lot from Hakeem. I'm glad Sengun is learning from him.
There are a lot of underrated players, but I think Moses is probably the single most underrated player ever.
Fo', fo', fo'. A relentless rebounder.
Who is here after Moses calling Barkley fat?
1:30-1:40
If any center did that today they would be all over youtube. Moses did that and everyone looked at him like "wtf did we just see".
wemby just did that
Moses was the reason the Sixers won a championship, not Julius.
Fo Fo Fo!
Moses was traded about 4 or 5 years prematurely by Philly. I understand Chuckie s process here but Moses was still the best player Barkley played with because he was still Philly s most valuable player at the time of the trade. Problem was Malone got hurt fore the Buck Semifinal series that went 7 games in 86. Barkley played so well in the series minus Moses that it flirted an idea inside Philly management that they could replace Moses and put all their eggs into Barkley's basket. They wanted to get cheaper unloading Moses, get younger, and have Barkley pick up the slack that Moses left behind. It was an error. A huge one. A monumental one and was the very first nail in Barkley's Sixers coffin. Rightfully so Barkley left them high and dry for little in return because that's what they got for Malone in return. The same nothing.
Barkley and Malone would have beat Boston in 1987, they would have beat Detroit. 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, for certain look different top to bottom if that duo stays in Philly proper due time. An underrated all time duo and one that 2k sports has yet to give us the chance of experiencing.
Andrew Toney was special but by the same time Moses was traded Toney was washed up tragically. He did not play with Barkley very long either though he was apart of Barkley's team longer, injuries stopped giving Barkley a healthy Toney around the same time as time Malone was traded. I understand Barkley but he should clear air and let people know that Moses and Barkley as a dynamic duo was robbed prematurely by a cheap Philly front office. They tried a 2 for 1 banking on Barkley's special talent when they could have certified that talent with Moses next to him until Moses's wheels fell off which wasn't for awhile. Yeah his star waned after Philly but he was as valuable as Kareem in years 14,15,16,17,18... And he damn sure remained a top 5 center into the 90's. The Sixers just tried to save a buck and use Barkley as a bandaid to help hide weaknesses left by Moses's void.
I thought the same thing as you, others would debate me and say Barkley and Malone's game were to similar, they would get in each other's way, but Barkley started facing the basket after a couple of years and was not just a post player, they could have been a really good tandem.
@@powerboatguy2308 one of the greatest tandems ever and Barkley loved Mo. Malone. Mo. Malone loved Barkley. They are one of the greatest PF-C combos ever and unfortunately we only had it for 3 regular seasons and 2 playoffs. Moses should have retired a Sixer or close to.
Did salary cap have anything to do with the trade? Salary cap is often a reason why you don't see some of the best A listers playing on the same team.
@@house_greyjoy great question. I say look it up and get back to me lol... but if I'm management, I'm paying Mo Malone to play with Barkley. He was fresher than Erving, I know Erving was the bigger superstar and more model hero for his grace and gentlemanly people skills. But, Erving was a rookie in 71? Mo Malone a rookie in 74, 75? Mo was better than Erving from 83-86 maybe if I remember right. Mo Malone just wasnt valued enough. I think it comes down to that. If you really want something you pay for it. They fucked up in my book. It was Barkley and Malone in the ECF's if given proper time.
I agree with everything you said, as a 76ers fan then they really missed up and don’t forget they traded the number 1 pick in 86 to Cleveland they could’ve Potentially had Brad Daugherty in that line up!! Sad ending to a 80s team that made it to the finals in the early 80s!!
Fo ~ Fo ~ Fo
I think for a few years in the ABA, dunks were disallowed
1986 sixers can go to nba finals if malone didnt get hurt
Too bad Bill Walton was healthy....