Ali Siddiq and Moses Malone built a friendship over the years

Famous stand-up comedian Ali Siddiq will never forget his first encounter with the late great NBA center Moses Malone who took him to a strip club the first time they had lunch together.

When it comes to some of the most underrated NBA players of all time, the late great center Moses Malone definitely falls into that category. Despite being a 3-time NBA MVP, NBA champion, multiple All-Star, and one of the most accomplished big men from his era, Moses doesn't get the recognition he deserves and rarely gets mentioned among NBA fans and analysts today. The main reason for that is that most younger fans never had the opportunity to watch him play since his best years were in the '70s, and 80's when he was in the same conversation as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

However, unlike most fans who never had the opportunity to know more about Moses Malone, famous stand-up comedian Ali Siddiq built a relationship with the legendary center throughout the years. During his appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, Siddiq talked about the early days when he was working for a record label, and the owner of the business was close with Moses, who spent a lot of time in his office. That presented an opportunity for Siddiq to meet Moses, and their relationship kicked off after the first time they had lunch together at Moses's favorite place.

Scroll to Continue

Siddiq recalls their first lunch together in a strip club called Treasures in Houston, the go-to place for Moses during lunch breaks. In the interview with Rogan, Siddiq said how Moses loved going to that place because he said they had the best buffet, which was pretty strange for Siddiq since it was a strip club. Usually, people go to strip clubs for other activities not necessarily tied to food but for pure entertainment. Interestingly enough, Siddiq challenged Moses on why he was going there, saying there was no way he would go to that place it wasn't for all the beautiful naked ladies working there.

"We were working in the same building, and Moses would always recognize me. One day he invited me for lunch, and there was this strip club called Treasures in Houston he loved going to. And he said they have the best buffet in town, and I am like are we going to a strip club, or we are going to eat. This was my first time going to a strip club for food. It was a huge buffet with a chef, and it looked like a cafeteria with all the lamps, but there were all these naked women in here. So we were arguing about is it the buffet or is it the strip club. So that is how me and Moses got tight arguing about the treasures in the buffet."

Siddiq also talked about the important lesson he learned about human behavior when hanging out with Moses: you can't make someone do something unless they really want to do it themselves. Siddiq mentioned he once asked Moses to borrow him 5 thousand dollars to jump-start his career as a comedian. Moses was willing to help him but forgot about their conversation and instead spent the money on a custom-made seat for his motorcycle. Months after, when Siddiq asked Moses why he spent such an amount of money on a seat instead of helping him with his career, Moses was stunned and felt sorry for not taking Siddiq seriously and stepping up to help him financially.

Moses had a quiet personality, and after he retired from the NBA in 1994, he stayed away from the spotlight, rarely gave interviews, and was gone from the public eye. That is perhaps one reason why most people don't remember him that well, since he literally became a ghost after his NBA career was over. However, that shouldn't undermine all of his personal and team accomplishments in the league because, at one point in his career, Moses was without a doubt the most dominant center in the NBA and a true marvel that needs to get more recognition.

Link:
Ali Siddiq will never forget when Moses Malone took him to a strip club: "He said they have the best buffet in town" - Basketball Network