The Tape
Was Moses Malone better than David Robinson?
Moses Malone, 1974-1995, against David Robinson, 1989-2003. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, their best seasons score the same: Moses Malone at 32.6 a game in 1981-82, David Robinson at 33.5 in 1993-94. The scoring argument is a tie and anyone who claims otherwise is quoting raw numbers from different leagues.
Moses Malone wins the glass by 4 rebounds a game (14.7 to 10.7), which in his era meant standing in traffic rather than waiting for a long one.
David Robinson is the passer: 4.8 assists a game to 1.8, and that is the difference between running an offense and finishing one.
Moses Malone: Three MVPs built on offensive rebounds, and the man who said fo, fo, fo and nearly delivered it. David Robinson: An MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring title closed out with 71 points on the last day of the season.
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