Karl Malone
(Born 1963)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2010
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: PF
Height: 6’9″
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Karl Malone, “The Mailman,” was one of the top power forwards to play the game and one of the top scorers in NBA history. Malone’s name will forever be linked with teammate John Stockton, (a Hall of Famer himself) who assisted on many of Karl’s buckets. Malone was one of the game’s great finishers and “Stockton to Malone” was a familiar refrain heard thousands of times throughout their careers.
Karl was an extremely physical player and a top rebounder during his career. He was also a mentally tough player who worked hard and gave his all in pursuit of victory. Although he played one year for the Lakers and nearly won that elusive NBA Championship, Malone will always be considered a Utah Jazz player for his many years of outstanding play with that franchise.
Awards and Honors
- Karl Malone and John Stockton led the Utah Jazz to the playoffs all eighteen years that they played together. Although they never won an NBA Championship, the duo reached the NBA Finals twice, losing to the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in 1997 and 1998.
- Karl was named to the NBA All-Rookie team after the 1985-86 season.
- Malone was an NBA All-Star fourteen consecutive times from 1988 through 2002. In 1999 there was no All-Star Game due to the NBA lockout. The lockout ended a run of 47 straight years that the NBA All-Star Game had been played.
- Beginning in 1989, Karl was named to the All-NBA First Team in eleven consecutive seasons. He was also named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team three times.
- Malone was the Most Valuable Player in the NBA two times, in 1997 and 1999.
- Karl was a member of the 1992 USA Olympic “Dream Team” that won the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. He also won Olympic gold in 1996 in Atlanta.
Points of Interest
- In 1996, Karl was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
- Malone is currently the second leading scorer in NBA history with 36,928 points. With 38,387 points, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more points in his career than The Mailman.
- Malone only missed ten games in his eighteen seasons with the Utah Jazz.
- Karl played nineteen seasons in the NBA, eighteen for the Utah Jazz and one for the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished his NBA career with averages of 25.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
- In his final season, Malone and Gary Payton joined forces with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to form a super team as both Malone and Payton sought after their first NBA Championship. The Lakers were 34-9 with Karl in the starting lineup that year. Unfortunately, knee injuries hampered Malone that year and limited him in the playoffs. The Lakers eventually lost in the NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons four games to one, with Malone sitting out the final game.
Statistics
Karl Malone Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com