Short answers, pulled from the story.
Moses Malone was an American professional basketball player who played in the ABA and NBA from 1974 through 1995. He won three NBA MVP awards, led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship, and finished his career with 29,580 combined points and 17,834 rebounds. He holds the all-time professional record for offensive rebounds with 7,382, a figure 35 percent higher than runner-up Artis Gilmore.
Before the 1983 NBA playoffs, Malone predicted in Southern vernacular that the Philadelphia 76ers would sweep all three rounds in four games each, saying they would go "fo, fo, fo." The Sixers finished 12-1, losing only Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks. The inside of the championship ring was inscribed "fo' fi' fo (four, five, four)." The New York Times later called the phrase "an enduring quotation."
Moses Malone did not play college basketball. He signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Maryland under Lefty Driesell, but instead signed with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974, becoming the first player in modern professional basketball to go directly from high school to the pros. He signed a five-year contract worth one million dollars.
Moses Malone led the NBA in rebounding six times, including five consecutive seasons from 1980 through 1985. That record of five straight rebounding titles was later surpassed by Dennis Rodman, who won seven consecutive rebounding championships.
The Philadelphia 76ers retired Moses Malone's number 2 on the 8th of February 2019. The ceremony was delayed in part because Malone had insisted that all of his 1983 championship teammates be included on the banner, a condition the team fulfilled. The Rockets had previously retired his number 24 in 1998.
Moses Malone died on the morning of the 13th of September 2015 from heart disease in his sleep at a hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 60 years old and had been scheduled to play in a charity golf tournament that day. He was found unresponsive in his room when he did not appear for breakfast, and had previously complained of an irregular heartbeat.