Question: What Houston Rockets star was one of the first NBA players to be paid $1 million per year?
Answer: Moses Malone. The 6-foot-10 center joined the Rockets in 1976 after brief stints with the ABA’s Utah Stars and the Spirits of St. Louis. He earned his first of three MVP awards during the 1978-79 season, averaging 24.8 points per game and and a league-leading 17.6 rebounds per game. The following season, Malone and San Diego Clippers center Bill Walton earned exactly $1 million, becoming the first players to do so.
Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Boards” for his rebounding proficiency, Malone was a 12-time All-Star and won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.
