Petersburg renames road for basketball icon Moses Malone

Petersburg will honor the life and legacy of Petersburg High School basketball icon Moses Malone by renaming a main road in the city after the late Hall of Famer and city native.

During its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, City Council adopted a resolution that will rename Johnson Road between Flank Road and Interstate 85 as “Moses Malone Boulevard.”

That approximately three-mile stretch will take on the honorary Malone name first, but the resolution directs city administration “to take all actions necessary to initiate the process for permanently renaming this area of Johnson Road” after Malone.

That part of Johnson Road includes the address of the high school, whose Crimson Wave basketball team won back-to-back state titles with Malone.

Ward 5 Councilor Howard Myers said the honorary renaming of Johnson Road ties in with the decision to name the apartment complex springing from the renovation of the former Virginia Avenue Elementary School “Malone Flats.” Malone grew up just around the corner from the school.

“We thought it would be indicative to continue to honor this great athlete who honed his skills right here in the city of Petersburg that we would extend an honorary [street] naming in his honor,” Myers said.

In 2020, City Council established the Honorary Street Naming Program that allows streets to be assigned ceremonial names in honor of noted present and past residents.

The resolution, which was passed by council unanimously, means that special street signs with the Malone name will be placed above all the Johnson Road signs along the designated route.

There is a required procedure to follow if the name is to be made permanent. In addition to all the necessary paperwork, all property owners along the designated route must agree to it, and then City Council would have the final say.

Myers said he hoped the honorary designation will help Petersburg “enter into a process for its permanency.”

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Malone led Petersburg to consecutive state titles in 1973 and 1974. During that run, the Wave amassed an unprecedented 50-game unbeaten streak.

He was the first player to go straight from high school to the pros, joining the Utah Stars of the old American Basketball Association in 1974. During his 21-year career, Malone played for two ABA teams and seven National Basketball Association teams.

Malone led the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. He came back to the finals two years later as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones. That year, the 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games to win the last of their three league titles.

All four players are in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Erving went in first in 1993, followed by Malone in 2001, and Checks and Jones in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Malone died Sept. 13, 2015 at the age of 60 at a hotel in Norfolk where he had gone to take part in a charity golf tournament.

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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) has won numerous awards during his 40-year journalism career. A Petersburg native, Bill is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with a degree in mass communications. He specializes in coverage of breaking news, crime, government, and local/state/national politics. He is an avid history buff and a lifelong Washington Commanders fan. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com with news tips and story suggestions.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg renames road for basketball icon Moses Malone