EXCLUSIVE: Excerpt From Upcoming Moses Malone Book

One chapter of an upcoming book centered on the life of Moses Malone will feature his relationship with fellow legend Hakeem Olajuwon.

Moses Malone parted the paint on a nightly basis during a Hall of Fame career.

The life and times of the legend of the game and the three-time MVP will be documented in “Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet,” an upcoming book penned by Paul Knepper and published by University of Nebraska Press.

Set to be released in November, Knepper’s work document the late Malone’s rise from high school to the pros, becoming the first such riser to play professionally after he was originally selected by the American Basketball Association’s Utah Stars in 1974. Malone was one of the most highly-recruited high school players of all-time out of Petersburg (Va.) and signed a grant-in aid with the University of Maryland in spring 1974 before opting to turn pro. He’s also our 1974 Mr. Basketball USA as the national player of the year. 

Following his red, white, and blue breakout, Malone would then play 19 seasons in the NBA, working with Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and San Antonio. With his number retired by both the Rockets and 76ers, Malone has 12 All-Star invites and six rebounding titles to his name. He was the MVP of the 76ers’ most recent championship run in 1983 and also had three regular season MVP titles to boot. Malone was a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame in 2001 and has also been named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary squads.

“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,” said a press release from University of Nebraska Press. “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.”

BIL is proud to present an excerpt from the book, courtesy of Knepper and University of Nebraska Press. What follows below serves as the 14th chapter entitled “King of Fonde,” which partly centers on Malone’s relationship with fellow Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon …

Hakeem Olajuwon walked into the office of Ganiyu Otenigbade, the high school basketball coach at Muslim Teachers College, in late 1979 and announced his desire to play basketball. He was months shy of his 17th birthday. Like most boys in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon grew up playing soccer, though he’d recently moved on to handball. The basketball coaches watched him excel on the handball court and told him basketball was the sport for him. It’s a big man’s game, and Hakeem was 6-feet-8-inches tall.

Olajuwon had never played basketball before. Coach Ganiyu taught him the basics, beginning with a layup. Step with your right foot, then your left, then release. Hakeem couldn’t get the footwork down. Then Coach Ganiyu demonstrated proper shooting form, how to position yourself for a rebound, the way to use your pivot foot, and how to flick your wrists to pass the ball. Two days later, Hakeem participated in a tournament, after which Coach Ganiyu placed him on the Lagos State basketball team. That summer, Richard Mills, an American who coached the Nigerian national team saw Olajuwon play. The boy had grown to 6’11” and was remarkably agile for his height. Mills offered him a spot on the junior national team.

The national team lost to Central Africa in a tournament in Angola that fall. After the game, Central Africa’s coach, Christopher Pond, sought out Olajuwon. Pond was shocked to learn that he had started playing basketball months earlier and told Olajuwon he could land him a scholarship in the United States. Hakeem had never seen American basketball before, though he was excited about the opportunity to attend an American college. Pond was well-connected in the basketball world. He made some calls and set up a handful of campus visits for Hakeem. A few weeks later, Olajuwon departed for the United States. The first team he tried out for was the University of Houston. Coach Guy Lewis saw his potential as he scrimmaged with the Cougars. Less than a year after picking up a basketball for the first time, Hakeem had a scholarship at an elite program in the United States. U of H classes had been in session for a couple months when he arrived in October, so he enrolled for Spring semester. Meanwhile, he worked out with the team.

“We knew he’d get better,” said teammate Clyde Drexler, “because he couldn’t get any worse.”

Lewis decided to redshirt Hakeem for his first season. Olajuwon watched the Rockets on television and noticed their dominant center, Moses Malone. One night, Cougars assistant coach Terence Kirkpatrick told Hakeem, “You’ll play against him this summer.” “Really?” asked Hakeem. He couldn’t believe Malone played with non-professionals. “Yeah,” replied Kirkpatrick, “he plays at Fonde.”

Fonde Recreation Center is an unassuming one-story brick building just west of downtown Houston. The gym is dark, with dirty windows and no air conditioning in the humid Houston summers. There’s one full court, divided by a blue curtain down the middle into two mini-courts. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, one side held pickup games for anybody who wanted to play.

The other was reserved for serious ballers.

The University of Houston basketball team began practicing at Fonde when their facility was under renovation in the mid- ‘60s. Cougar stars Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney were impressed by the talent there and began attending regularly. In the early 1970s, the Rockets showed up. By the time Moses arrived in Houston, Fonde’s summer runs were among the best in the country.

Many Houston Rockets, including Major Jones, Jacky Dorsey, Dwight Jones, Allen Leavell, Robert Reid, and Alonzo Bradley, were regulars in the late ‘70s and early 80s, along with college stars like Ollie Taylor of the University of Houston, Carl Belcher of the University of Texas, George “Stretch” Campbell from Prairie View, and Dave Lattin of the legendary Texas Western national championship team. [Rudy] Tomjanovich, Calvin Murphy, and Elvin Hayes stopped by occasionally, as did NBA All-Stars like George Gervin and Otis Birdsong when they were in town. Angelo Cascio, a short, former referee from Louisiana, was the center’s evening
recreation director and served as gate keeper for the main court. He protected the stars from the “rinky-dinks,” as he called them. College players and professionals weren’t guaranteed entrance.

“If you wanted to play, you had to go through Moses,” said James Clayton, a longtime Fonde employee.

Moses would send word to Cascio. Cascio picked six captains at the beginning of the night and determined which teams played first. Moses was always in the first game. The other captains, who had 3rd , 4th, 5th, and 6th  “ups,” could select players from the teams that lost. There were nights when only 18 or 20 players saw action. If you lost a game, you might not get back on the court, so the competition was fierce. The games started between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and ran until the gym closed at 9:00. One team was shirts, the other skins, and they played to 12 by ones. Players called their own fouls, which led to arguments. If Moses called a foul, there was no discussion. Nobody challenged the King of Fonde.

Malone set the tone for the games. “It wasn’t pickup,” said Olden Polynice, a 14-year NBA veteran. “Because Moses made it so. Because he wasn’t out there to have fun, per se. He was like this is a workout. So it was literally like a practice, like an NBA practice or NBA game. It was that intense.”

Malone held everybody accountable, demanding excellence from his teammates and forcing opponents to match his intensity. One evening, Drexler was taking it to Robert Reid. “You better come on and play cause he’s busting your ass,” Malone told Reid. “And if he’s busting your ass now, he’s going to bust your ass in the season.” 

Moses took young players under his wing. Herb Baker was a local kid who tagged along with his parents when they worked out at Fonde. He sprang to 6’9” and, when he was sixteen, Moses invited him to play with the professionals. Malone taught him how to use his body against smaller players and quickness against bigger ones. Baker went on to play professionally overseas for sixteen years. He had tryouts with NBA teams but never made the cut. Malone always encouraged him to keep working.

Moses offered advice and encouragement to countless others. His greatest protégé was Olajuwon.

Hakeem joined his Cougar teammates at Fonde in the summer of 1981. The first thing he noticed were the cars in the parking lot: Mercedes, Jaguars, and Porsches. Moses wasn’t there for the first few weeks because the Rockets were in the Finals. When he arrived, Big Mo showed the young Nigerian no mercy. He shouted “Be a man” to Olajuwon as he bullied him in the post. Hakeem was helpless. He’d never played against somebody that strong or quick. He couldn’t overpower Malone, so he built his game on agility and deception—spins, fakes, and double- and triple-pumps.

Off the court, Moses was gentle with Hakeem. The Rockets center poked fun at him in a playful way to make him feel like one of the guys. The two men were about the same size, so Malone arrived at Fonde with suits, pants, and shirts for the youngster. He handed Hakeem a wad of cash and said to let him know if he needed anything. Moses told reporters he was impressed by the Nigerian, which boosted Hakeem’s confidence. 

Before and after games, Malone taught Hakeem a jump hook, and a drop step counter move. Hakeem grew frustrated with his inability to execute the hook shot. Malone calmly explained that it was a two-part drill. The first part was to make the shot, the second to grab the offensive rebound. If you missed your shot, it was an opportunity to work on your reaction time and grab the board. Rockets guard Mike Dunleavy witnessed Malone’s explanation and later used it with players he coached in the NBA. 

The most important lesson Hakeem learned from Moses was resilience. “With Moses there were no rests, no breaks,” Olajuwon said years later. “He was working every time down the court — scoring, rebounding or just making you feel his body. He would laugh when he slammed into you. If you tried to take a breath, he went by you or over you. There was no stop.”

Moses Malone on his mentorship of Hakeem Olajuwon:
“Ain’t no secrets about playing basketball. Who wants the ball more? Who wants the shot? Who wants the rebound? Go get it. Don’t matter if you play in the NBA or you’re off a plane from Africa. (1) pic.twitter.com/gKVvQS4K8d

— Paul Knepper (@paulieknep) October 20, 2025

While Hakeem’s peers spent their summer competing against college players, he was learning from the best big man in the world. 

Hakeem and Moses resumed their battles at Fonde in the summer of 1982. One evening, Drexler missed a jumper from left of the free throw line. Hakeem grabbed the offensive rebound, took one dribble, and dunked with his right hand, while pulling Moses to the ground with his left. The players in attendance were so excited, they ran out of the gym. “Oh my God! Hakeem just dunked on Mo!” Moses picked himself up off the floor, looked at Hakeem and said, “About time. About time.” Hakeem had learned to fight back. 

“Ain’t no secrets about playing basketball,” Malone said of tutoring Olajuwon. “Who wants the ball more? Who wants the shot? Who wants the rebound? Go get it. Don’t matter if you play in the NBA or you’re off a plane from Africa. It’s the man who’s the strongest, the man who won’t give up on the play, the man who does more work.”

Moses advised Hakeem on whether to leave school early and how to choose an agent. He and Malone grabbed a bite to eat after their teams squared off in the NBA. But they were never close. Olajuwon blames himself. He was raised in a culture that emphasized respecting your elders. He kept Moses on a pedestal and was never able to view him as an equal.

Olajuwon won an NBA MVP award and two championships in the NBA. “I would never have accomplished what I did if I did not play against Moses at Fonde,” he said before being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags

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