Karl Malone

Karl Malone
Malone in 2011
Personal information
Born (1963-07-24) July 24, 1963 (age 61)
Summerfield, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight259 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High schoolSummerfield
(Summerfield, Louisiana)
CollegeLouisiana Tech (1982–1985)
NBA draft1985: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career1985–2004
PositionPower forward
Number32, 11
Coaching career2007–2011
Career history
As player:
19852003Utah Jazz
2003–2004Los Angeles Lakers
As coach:
20072011Louisiana Tech (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points36,928 (25.0 ppg)
Rebounds14,968 (10.1 rpg)
Assists5,238 (3.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona National team
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta National team
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 1992 Portland Men's basketball

Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963)[1] is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.[2] Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and a 14-time member of the All-NBA Team, which include 11 consecutive First Team selection. His 36,928 career points scored rank third all-time in NBA history behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he holds the records for most free throws made and attempted, and most regular season games started, in addition to being tied for the second-most first-team All-NBA selections with Kobe Bryant and behind LeBron James.[3]

Malone played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University. In his three seasons with Louisiana Tech, he helped the Bulldogs basketball team to its first-ever NCAA tournament in 1984 and to first place in the Southland Conference in 1985. The Utah Jazz selected him in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick. Malone appeared in the playoffs every season in his career, including the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 with the Jazz. He played his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he played his third Finals in 2004. Malone also competed with the United States national team in the Summer Olympic Games of 1992 and 1996; in both years he won gold medals. In 1996, as part of the NBA's 50th Anniversary, Malone was honored as one of the 50 greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team.[4] In October 2021, Malone was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[5]

After retiring from the NBA, Malone joined the staff of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team in 2007 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 twice – for his individual career, and as a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team.[6]

Malone has attracted criticism for his personal life, most notably for his impregnation of a 13-year-old when he was 20.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Karl Malone Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ NBA Awards – All-NBA 1st Team – National Basketball Association – ESPN . Espn.go.com. Retrieved on December 12, 2015.
  4. ^ "NBA at 50: Top 50 Players". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  5. ^ nba.com/75
  6. ^ The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – Hall of Famers Archived August 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Hoophall.com. Retrieved on December 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Gee, Andre (February 18, 2023). "The NBA Shouldn't Have Creepy Karl Malone at All-Star Weekend". Rolling Stone.
  8. ^ Walden, Eric (February 20, 2023). "Karl Malone knows opinion on him has shifted, but he won't discuss it". The Salt Lake Tribune.