1975 Topps #254 Moses Malone ROOKIE PSA MINT 9

1975 Topps #254 Moses Malone PSA 9 - From the ABA to Basketball Immortality

The 1975 Topps #254 Moses Malone documents the beginning of a career that took a path almost no superstar before him had traveled. Rather than attend college, Malone went directly from high school to the professional ranks, signing with the Utah Stars of the ABA at just 19 years old. His 1975 Topps card captures that extraordinary beginning, complete with the unmistakable red, white, and blue ABA basketball—a young phenom already competing against grown professionals while most players his age were still freshmen in college.

What makes this example especially compelling is the PSA MINT 9 grade. The 1975 Topps basketball issue is filled with the kind of production and preservation obstacles that separate truly premium examples, including centering, print quality, colored borders, corners, and surface wear. On Malone’s important early card, reaching the Mint level gives collectors an elite representation of the player before the NBA championships and MVP trophies transformed him into an all-time great.

Malone eventually became synonymous with relentless work around the basket, particularly his extraordinary ability on the offensive glass. He captured three NBA MVP Awards, led the league in rebounding six times, and accumulated more than 27,000 points and 16,000 rebounds across his ABA and NBA career. His masterpiece came in 1982-83 after joining Philadelphia, when he won MVP and famously predicted “Fo’, Fo’, Fo’” for the playoffs before leading the 76ers to the championship and earning Finals MVP.