Memories of Moses Malone have been flooding the basketball highways since news of his death on Sunday began circulating.

Malone’s 60 years were a fascinating study in contradictions.

Born to a father who stood just 5-6 and a mother who was 5-2, Malone grew to reach 6-10.

He became a trail blazer as the first basketball player to go directly from high school to the professional ranks, but he never played for the Trail Blazers, even though Portland was the first NBA team to own his rights.

He entered the pro ranks at a spindly 210 pounds, but became renowned as one of the game’s most physical bruisers after adding 50 pounds to his frame.

His hands were smaller than those of most of the behemoths he battled over the course of his 21 seasons in pro basketball, yet only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell exceeded his career rebound total of 17,834.

Malone was recognized as one of the top 50 players in NBA history when the league celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996, yet he never affixed a signature on the game such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s “sky hook” or Hakeem Olajuwon’s “Dream shake.”

He didn’t captivate the cameras like Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan, nor did he supply columnists with the colorful quotes of Charles Barkley or Shaquille O’Neal.

The most vivid image he left us was arguably his free-throw shooting routine: striding slowly to the line, dripping with sweat like he’d just emerged from a sauna, positioning his goggles atop his head while taking his sweet time, then eyeing his target and hitting it 76 percent of the time.

His frequent trips to that charity stripe could become monotonous, but no one in the game’s history ever worked harder than Moses Eugene Malone did to get there.

“I may not be the greatest player, but I’ve always tried to be the hardest worker.” Moses Malone

Malone played 93 games for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991 through 1993.

By that stage of his career, he had been an American Basketball Association All-Star, an NBA All-Star (12 times), an NBA champion (with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983), an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (in ’83) and a three-time NBA MVP (in 1979, 1982 and 1983).

When he was asked what sort of legacy he hoped to leave when the time came to call it quits, Malone’s response was brief, but it spoke volumes.

“I may not be the greatest player,” he said. “But I’ve always tried to be the hardest worker.”

Malone was raised in an impoverished neighborhood in Petersburg, Va., as an only child by his mother, Mary Malone.

Shortly after gravitating from football and baseball to basketball when he reached his teens, Moses developed an intense passion for the game that kept him on his neighborhood playground court from after school until sometimes 2 a.m.

His growing feet were outfitted in the only shoes he could afford – P.F. Flyers – and he claimed he sometimes went through a pair within a week.

Malone’s diligence did not go to waste.

During his four years at Petersburg High School, he developed into the most heavily recruited high school basketball player ever. He averaged a mind-boggling 36 points, 26 rebounds and 12 blocks per game as a senior in leading his team to a second consecutive state championship. Petersburg won 50 consecutive games during his heyday.

The recruiting rush attracted coaches from over 200 colleges and representatives of the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association. Unlike the NBA, the renegade league had no restrictions against pursuing high school players.

As the Malone recruitment legend goes, the family bought a guard dog to ward off pesky visitors. The canine became quite adept at his job, even biting Utah Stars General Manager Bucky Buckwalter after he snuck through a field to see Moses.

Coach Lefty Driesell of the University of Maryland won the Malone recruiting sweepstakes, but after spending just two days at the school, Malone opted to sign a pro contract with the Utah Stars.

Moses quickly proved to be more than capable as a professional, averaging 18.8 points and 14.6 rebounds and shooting 57.2 percent from the floor to earn ABA All-Star and All-Rookie recognition.

Malone’s first pro coach was Tom Nissalke, who had earlier served as the original assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks during the team’s first four seasons. Nissalke, not one for hyperbole, made an exception in Malone’s case, billing him as potentially the greatest offensive rebounder in the history of the game.

The Stars folded after Malone’s rookie season. He spent an injury-ridden second pro season with the ABA’s Spirits of St. Louis before the league merged with the NBA in 1976.

Malone was selected in a dispersal draft by Portland, which traded his rights to the Buffalo Braves. He played just two games for Buffalo before being traded to the Houston Rockets, where he reunited with Nissalke.

Malone reached superstar status in his fifth pro campaign, when he led the league in rebounding at 17.6 per outing and became known as “The Chairman of the Boards.” He ranked fifth among league scorers at 24.8 points a game and dominated the MVP voting.

Malone won his second MVP award after averaging 31.1 points per game and winning his second of five straight rebounding championships. He scored his career high of 53 points in a game against San Diego during the 1981-82 season.

Malone was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1982, and he proceeded to win his third MVP award and lead the Sixers to the 1983 NBA title.

When the 1983 playoffs began, Malone offered a bold prediction of how the Sixers would fare, chanting , ‘Fo-fo-fo,’ to signify four-game sweeps of three series.

Philly would have made Malone look prophetic had it not been for a combative Milwaukee team that won the fourth game of their series 100-94.

Malone’s first Philly stint ended in 1986. He played for the Washington Bullets from 1986-88 and for the Atlanta Hawks from 1988-91 before signing as a free agent with Milwaukee in 1991.

Even at 36 years old, Malone did what he was acquired to do, averaging 15.6 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds over 82 games with the Bucks in 1991-92.

Back surgery, however, limited him to 11 appearances with the Bucks in 1992-93 before he returned to Philadelphia in 1993-94, then finished his career with San Antonio in 1994-95.

He ranks seventh in NBA/ABA scoring with 29,580 points, third in NBA/ABA rebounding with 17,834 boards and first in NBA/ABA offensive rebounding with 7,382.