Karl Malone

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Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player.

Born in Summerfield, Louisiana, he was nicknamed in college as the Mailman for his consistency ("the mailman always delivers") and his work in the post. Malone twice won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He is generally considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, and has scored the second most points in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

On May 30, 2007, Malone was named creator of basketball promotion and assistant strength and dieting coach at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.^[1]

Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) as the star player for the Utah Jazz forming a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He then played one season (2003-04) for the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring.^[2]

Even though his teams never won a championship, Malone was more famous for his extremely well-defined physique, which resembled that of a bodybuilder. Along with Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Elgin Baylor, Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, and his longtime Jazz teammate John Stockton, he is considered to be one of the best players never to have won a championship.

Malone's jersey was retired on March 23, 2006, when the Jazz hosted the Washington Wizards. He was also honored with the unveiling of a bronze statue outside the EnergySolutions Arena next to teammate John Stockton, and the renaming of a portion of 100 South St. in Salt Lake City in his honor. The intersection where the Stockton and Malone statues stand is now the intersection of Stockton and Malone. ^[3]

[edit] NBA career

Karl Malone was chosen by the Jazz in 1985 out of Louisiana Tech with the 13th overall pick in the draft. After his rookie season, the Jazz saw in him the potential to be the cornerstone of their offense. So, they traded star forward, Adrian Dantley, to the Detroit Pistons and decided to build around Malone.

At the same time, reserve point guard John Stockton was winning the trust of the coaching staff and the love of the fans. By 1987, Malone was the foundation of the offense and Stockton was the floor general and both had All-Star seasons. That season was also the first for head coach Jerry Sloan, The three would be inseparable for 16 seasons. It was also at the end of that season that the Jazz as a team rose to national prominence after an amazing playoffs series against the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers. For many years, he and Stockton played together on the Jazz, forming one of the most productive guard-forward combinations in NBA history. The two played a record 1,412 regular-season games together as teammates. Playing Jerry Sloan's scrappy and tough style and perfecting the pick and roll to a maximum degree of efficiency, the Jazz became a staple to make it to the playoffs and to have a winning record in the regular season. He would lead the Jazz to multiple 50-win seasons with the exception of 1992-93 (47-35) where the Jazz stumbled after the All-Star Game (when he and Stockton won co-MVP honors), 2001-02's 44-38 finish and 2002-03 where they finished again with a 47-35 record.

By the early 1990s the Utah Jazz had risen to power as one of the top teams in the league and had started to knock on the doors of the NBA Finals. They finally got there in 1997 and 1998 but were defeated both times by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Karl stayed on active duty for one more season, joining the Los Angeles Lakers in an attempt to win a championship, the only major achievement absent in his career. His bid failed as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Detroit Pistons in 2004 NBA Finals in a series where Malone sprained his right knee and played injured for 4 of the 5 games before missing game 5 with the Lakers down 3-1 and series over. Although several NBA teams sought his services for the 2004-05 season, Malone decided to retire as a player on February 13, 2005. The Jazz retired his number 32 jersey in his honor. Though Malone has been retired for more than three years, the Lakers never renounced his rights.

[edit] Player profile

Malone is regarded as one of the best power forwards in the history of the NBA. He collected two regular-season MVP Awards, 11 NBA First Team nominations and was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team three times.

He scored 36,928 points (25.0 per game), second best all-time, on remarkable .516 shooting. His high field goal percentage benefited from two factors, namely the pick-and-roll offense, and secondly his physical power, enabling him to overpower most forwards. Malone grabbed an average 10.1 rebounds (thus averaging a double-double in his career) and also stole an average 1.41 balls per game.

Karl Malone would lead the NBA in free throws made seven separate seasons (an NBA record). He was a physical defender and rebounder, and one of the most durable players ever in the NBA, missing a total of only five regular season games in his first 13 years in the league. He maintained a high level of play even at age 40, becoming the oldest player to both log a triple-double and to be a starter on an NBA-Finals bound team. Malone's work ethic showed prominently in his formative years in the NBA where he raised his free throw shooting percentage from below 50% to 75% in a few years. He also added a long range jump shot which made him difficult to defend.

Malone wore number 32 for the Utah Jazz. He wore number 11 for the Los Angeles Lakers (number 32 was retired honoring Magic Johnson, though Johnson himself offered to have it unretired for Malone to wear, an offer Malone politely refused) and also for the Dream Team (the players wore 4 to 15 to adhere to FIBA rules).

[edit] Aggressive Style and Incidents on the Court

Malone was a very physical player and was scrutinized for his style of play. His "flying" elbows were often the center of incidents on the court. So much so he was once referenced as "Dr. Elbow" by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 1991 in a game against the Pistons, Malone powered through Isiah Thomas while going up for a rebound, smashing his elbow into Thomas's face. Thomas required 40-stitches above his left eye. In 2003, in an attempt to prevent a steal, Malone landed an elbow into the face of Steve Nash, causing bleeding from Nash's face. One of the most notable incidents was in a game against the San Antonio Spurs in 1998. In the game, Malone landed a elbow to the head of David Robinson. The 7-foot center immediately collapsed to the ground and was unconscious for 2 minutes. Each incident resulted in a 1-game suspension and a small fine.

[edit] Achievements and awards

• Stockton and Malone shattered many NBA records while playing together. Stockton holds the NBA record for most career assists and steals, while Malone holds the records for most free throws attempted and made; he is first all-time in defensive rebounds, as well as being second all-time on the NBA career scoring list, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
• Both he and Stockton were selected to be a part of the Dream Team, the legendary 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team that was the first to feature professional NBA players. They are two-time Olympic Gold medalists, having won one in 1992 and another 1996 in Atlanta.

Bronze statue of Malone in front of then Delta Center (now Energy Solutions Arena), in Salt Lake City

• Both hold many records of longevity, having faced very few long term injuries in their careers and having played for 19 seasons each.
• Between them, they hold almost every major statistical record for the Utah Jazz franchise.
• Malone received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice while playing for the Jazz, in 1997 and 1999 seasons.
• Voted in 1996 to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list.
• Voted to 11 All-NBA first teams, two second teams and one third team.
• Voted an All-Star 14 times. MVP of the All-Star game in 1989 and co-MVP in 1993 with Stockton.
• Voted to three NBA All-Defensive teams and one second team.
• Malone was ranked #13 on Slam Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
• Played in 1476 games, averaging 37.2 minutes, 51% shooting from the floor, 74% from the free throw line, 25.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.41 steals per game.
• His jersey number was retired by the Utah Jazz (#32) in Salt Lake City on March 23, 2006.
• A bronze statue depicting Malone was dedicated on March 23, 2006 on the SE corner of the EnergySolutions Arena block, next to the one depicting John Stockton.

[edit] Notable games

• Malone was named Most Valuable Player of the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, finishing the contest with 28 points and 9 rebounds.
• On January 27, 1990, Malone scored a career-high 61 points in a 144-96 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. He made 21 of 26 field goals and 19 of 23 free throws. It was the most points scored by a Jazz player since the team moved to Utah from New Orleans. By playing only 33 minutes, Malone became the 3rd player in NBA history to score at least 60 points while playing less than 40 minutes in a game. The others to have accomplished this feat are Jerry West (63 points in 39 minutes on January 17, 1962) and George Gervin (63 points in 33 minutes on April 9, 1978). Kobe Bryant is the latest and 4th player to have achieved this feat (62 points in 33 minutes on December 20, 2005).
• Malone scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, sharing the game's MVP honors with teammate John Stockton.
• Against the Golden State Warriors (on March 29, 1994), Malone set a career high with 23 rebounds (11 offensive, 12 defensive).
• During a 1995 game featuring the Utah Jazz against the New Jersey Nets, Nets forward Derrick Coleman went so far as to call Malone an 'Uncle Tom'.^[4]
• Malone posted his first career triple-double with 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 2, 1996.
• On May 11, 1997, in a playoff game against the Lakers, Malone made 18 of 18 free throws, breaking the NBA record for most free throw attempts without a miss in a single playoff game. He finished with 42 points.
• Malone scored 50 points and added 12 rebounds in a playoff game against the Seattle SuperSonics on April 22, 2000. The 50 points set a Jazz franchise playoff record.
• On November 30, 2003, while playing with the Lakers, Malone became the oldest NBA player ever to post a triple-double (at age 40). He totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 26 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.
• With his 30-point, 13-rebound performance April 25, 2004 at Houston, Karl Malone became the oldest player in playoff history to score 30-plus points in a game and only the second player over 40 to tally 30-plus points in a postseason contest, the other being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

[edit] Personal

Malone has been married to the former Kay Kinsey, winner of the 1988 Miss Idaho USA pageant, since 1991. The couple has four children together: son Karl, Jr., and daughters Kadee, Kylee, and Karlee.

In 1998, the tabloid newspaper The Globe reported that Malone had been a defendant in paternity lawsuits, filed shortly after Malone began his professional basketball career in the late 1980's, which alleged he that he was the father of three children by two women from his hometown of Summerfield, Louisiana: Demetrius Bell and twins Daryl and Cheryl Ford. Malone had been 17 when the Ford twins were born to Bonita Ford, who was approximately the same age. However, Malone was a college sophomore when Gloria Bell, at age 13, gave birth to Demetrius. The Salt Lake Tribune conducted a follow-up investigation and reported that in the aftermath of the Globe story, Malone had met with the Ford twins for the first time since visiting them in the hospital after they were born. Malone did not meet with Bell at that time, and Malone's attorney insisted that Malone had settled the lawsuits prior to any conclusive establishment of paternity, and thus did still did not know whether he was truly the father of any of the children.

The Tribune reported that in fact, the judge in the Bell lawsuit had ruled Malone to be the father when Malone did not respond to the suit. However, the paper also noted that court documents referred to a laboratory blood test which concluded with over 99 percent certainty that Bell's father was either Malone or a brother of Malone, and that applying that same blood sample to the Ford twins resulted in a similarly high probability of paternity by Malone.^[5][6] According to the Tribune, Malone challenged the court's ruling with regard to Bell, claiming that the judgment holding him responsible for $125 per week in child support, plus past and future medical expenses, was excessive. Before Malone's appeal was adjudicated, the lawsuit was settled on confidential terms. In the case regarding the Ford twins, Malone was ruled to be their father when he violated a court order by refusing to reveal his assets or submit to a DNA test. Thereafter, another out-of-court settlement was reached.^[5]

By the fall of 1998, Malone had accepted his paternity of the Ford twins, and Kay Malone spoke publicly of the two being members of their family.^[7] Karl Malone has maintained a relationship with the twins — each of whom later played college basketball at his alma mater of Louisiana Tech University — since that time. Cheryl Ford has gone on to a professional basketball career with the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association.

To date, Malone has made no public comment with regard to Bell, who is now an offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills professional football team of the National Football League. In 2008, The Buffalo News reported that Bell's first and only meeting with Malone came shortly after Bell graduated from high school. According to Bell, Malone told him at that time that it was "too late" for them to have a father-son relationship and told him to never ask him for money.^[8]

[edit] See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game

[edit] Sources

• Encyclopedia Britannica

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NBA.com History player file: Karl Malone
• Basketball-Reference.com: Karl Malone
• NBA.com Profile
• Karl Malone at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e 1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – "Dream Team" Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Clyde Drexler | Patrick Ewing | Magic Johnson | Michael Jordan | Christian Laettner | Karl Malone | Chris Mullin | Scottie Pippen | David Robinson | John Stockton | Coach: Chuck Daly

v • d • e 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States Charles Barkley | Penny Hardaway | Grant Hill | Karl Malone | Reggie Miller | Hakeem Olajuwon | Shaquille O'Neal | Gary Payton | Scottie Pippen | Mitch Richmond | David Robinson | John Stockton | Coach: Lenny Wilkens