This past week, Moses Malone passed away at the age of 60. Malone is one of the most legendary and beloved figures in the history of basketball, so it’s no surprise that his funeral was attended by a large collection of former NBA stars, including Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Charles Barkley. Barkley, who played with Malone in Philadelphia in the 1980s, said recently that he called Malone “Dad.” Barkley gave a moving 10-minute speech at the service, which you can and should watch below:
It’s well worth watching. Barkley captures who Malone was as a man and as a teammate, talking with humor, reverence and perspective about how Malone mentored Barkley in his rookie season and pushed him to lose weight, work on his game and become a Hall of Famer in his own right.