Karl Malone

Born in Summerfield, Louisiana, he was nicknamed The Mailman in college for his consistency ("the mailman always delivers") and his work in the post. Malone twice won the National Basketball Association (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 (36,928) in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

On May 30, 2007, Malone was named director of basketball promotions and assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech University.

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 played one season (2003–04) for the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring.

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 in Salt Lake City in his honor. The location where the statues stand is now the intersection of Stockton and Malone.

NBA career

At the same time, reserve point guard John Stockton was winning the trust of the coaching staff and the love of the fans. By the 1987–88 season, Malone was the foundation of the offense and Stockton was the floor general. Malone made his first All-Star Game in 1988 on the strength of 27.1 points per game, and made his first All-NBA team at the end of the season. This was the first of 14 consecutive All-Star appearances for Malone. The Jazz went 47–35, third in the Midwest Division, and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Jazz took on the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the next round, who were led by perennial All-Stars Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, losing in seven games. Malone scored 29 points per game in that postseason.

The next year, Malone averaged 29.1 points, good for second in the NBA behind Michael Jordan, and 10.7 rebounds, which was fifth in the league. At the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, Malone finished with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists en route to his first All-Star MVP. The Jazz finished 51–31, but were swept in three games in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. The next year Malone increased his scoring to 31 points and his rebounding to 11.1 a game, but the Jazz were once again eliminated in the first round, this time by the Phoenix Suns.

For the time Malone and Stockton played together on the Jazz, the two formed one of the most productive guard–forward combinations in NBA history. Playing coach Jerry Sloan's scrappy and tough style and perfecting the pick and roll to a maximum degree of efficiency, the Jazz regularly made the playoffs with a winning record. Malone led the Jazz to multiple 50-win seasons with the exception of 1992–93 (47–35).

Through this time, Malone continued to put up stellar numbers, averaging 28/11.2, 27/11.2, 25.2/11.5, 26.7/10.6 and 25.7/9.8 from 1992 to 1996. The Jazz only made it as far as the Western Conference Finals in this period, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers (1992), the Houston Rockets (1994) and the Seattle SuperSonics (1996).

During the 1996-97 season, Malone put up a resurgent 27.4 points per game while leading the Jazz to a 64–18 record, the highest win total in Malone's 12 seasons with the Jazz. The Jazz had the best record in the Western Conference and the second-best in the league, with Malone winning his first NBA Most Valuable Player award. After sweeping the Los Angeles Clippers and defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, the Jazz took on the Houston Rockets, led by the aging trio of Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Clyde Drexler. The Jazz beat them in six games (the last victory coming on a last-second shot by Stockton). Malone finally got to the Finals in 1997, where they played the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. In a matchup of the two previous MVPs, the Bulls took the first two games at the United Center. Malone struggled from the field, going 6 of 20 for 20 points in Game Two. However the Jazz won the next two games at the Delta Center behind Malone's 37 points in Game 3 and 23 in Game 4, including a game-winning fastbreak lay-up off a spectacular assist by Stockton in the last minute. The Bulls took the next two games and the series, with Malone struggling from the foul line in the pivotal Game 6.

The next season saw the Jazz once again dominate. Malone put up 27 points per game and just missed out on his second MVP award, losing to Jordan. Nevertheless, the Jazz posted a 62–20 record, which was the best in the NBA. The Jazz once again were seated at the top of the Western Conference, and in the 1998 playoffs they defeated the Rockets, Spurs, and Lakers (via a sweep) en route to their second consecutive Finals appearance. The rematch with the Chicago Bulls would start differently, as Malone put up 21 points and the Jazz won Game 1, 88–85. Malone found himself unable to put up consistently high numbers, due in large part to the swarming defense of defenders Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. Despite Malone's 31 points in Game 6, the Bulls won the game and the series.

In the lockout-shortened 1999 season, Malone won his second MVP award and the Jazz went 37–13. They lost in the second round to the Trail Blazers, and for the next several years the Jazz fell out of title contention. Despite the decline of his team and his advancing age, Malone averaged 25.5, 23.2, 22.4, and 20.6 points per game in his last four seasons with Utah. In the 2002–2003 season, Malone passed Wilt Chamberlain for second on the all-time scoring list with 36,374 points. He became a free agent in 2003, after which Stockton had retired.

Malone played in the NBA 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 the 2004 NBA Finals. Malone sprained his right knee and played injured for four games in the Finals before missing Game Five, with the Lakers down 3–1 and the series almost over. Although several NBA teams (including the Lakers, Heat, Timberwolves and Spurs) sought his services for the 2004–05 season, Malone decided to retire on February 13, 2005. The Jazz retired his number 32 jersey in his honor.

Achievements and awards

Player profile

Malone led the NBA in free throws made a league-record seven times. 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%. 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 refused) and also for the Dream Team (the players wore 4 to 15 to adhere to FIBA rules).

Over 1,476 NBA games (fourth all-time), and 1,471 starts (most all-time, never coming off the bench after his rookie season), Malone scored 36,928 points (25.0 per game), second-best all-time, on .516 shooting. His high field goal percentage benefited from three factors, namely, the pick-and-roll offense; his physical power, enabling him to overpower most forwards, and his ability to run the court, allowing him to convert fastbreak dunks and lay-ups off assists by Stockton. Malone notched 10.1 rebounds and 1.41 steals per game for his career. In addition, Malone played 1,412 games with Stockton, most all time for two players on the same team, and missed just eight games out of a possible 1,442 games during his time with the Jazz (3 because of suspension)..

Notable games

Personal

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 1980s, which alleged 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 was 17 when the Ford twins were born to Bonita Ford, who was approximately the same age. However, when 20-year-old Malone conceived Demetrius, Gloria Bell was only 13. 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 still did not know whether he was truly the father of any of the children.

The Tribune confirmed that the judge in the Bell lawsuit ruled Malone to be the father, not based on presented evidence, but rather because Malone did not respond to the suit. However, the paper also examined court documents detailing the evidence that was to have been presented had Malone responded and a trial ensued. One of the items listed was a laboratory blood test which concluded with over 99 percent certainty that Bell's father was either Malone or a brother of Malone. The paper also reported that applying that same blood sample to the Ford twins resulted in a similarly high probability of paternity by Malone. 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. Since that time, Karl Malone has maintained a relationship with the twins, each of whom later played college basketball at his alma mater of Louisiana Tech University. Cheryl Ford went 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 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.

Malone is a registered Republican who has made contributions to the campaign of George W. Bush and other conservative causes. He is a staunch supporter of the US military presence in Iraq and has expressed anger that politicians have accused American troops abroad of abuse, saying that "Congress and the senators need to be slapped around for saying it."

Malone is an avid hunter and fisherman. He owns a summer home in Kenai, Alaska.

See also

Sources

References

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Louisiana Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball players Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Utah Jazz draft picks Category:Utah Jazz players Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Louisiana Tech University alumni Category:People from Union Parish, Louisiana Category:People from Ruston, Louisiana Category:Louisiana Republicans Category:People from Claiborne Parish, Louisiana