Karl Malone

Karl Malone (born July 24, 1963 in Bernice, Louisiana) is a former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed in college as the Mailman for his consistency ("a Mailman always delivers"), and was arguably the greatest power forward ever in the NBA.

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 corner-stone of their offense. So, they traded star forward, Adrian Dantley, to the Detroit Pistons and decided to build around him.
• Karl's work ethic features 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 virtually unguardable.
• At the same time, reserve point guard, John Stockton, was winning the trust of the coaching staff. By 1987 Karl 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. 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.
• Karl was a very physical player. He liked to draw contact and put other players in foul trouble. As a result, he would lead the NBA in free throws made seven separate season (an NBA record). He was also a physical defender and rebounder. Compounded with his great strength, this led to accusations of dirty play or attempts to intentionally harm other players. Some of those who suffered collisions with Karl include Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, Shawn Bradley and Steve Nash.
• By the mid-90's the Utah Jazz had risen to power as one of the top five 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.
• In 1999 (the year after Jordan's retirement), the Jazz were the favorites to win, but instead started a gradual decline that was a reflection of the aging of their two superstar players. Eventually, Stockton would retire at the end of the 2003 season.
• Karl stayed for one more season, joining the Los Angeles Lakers to try and win a championship, the only major achievement that had eluded him in his career. His bid failed as the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
• Although several NBA teams sought his services for the 2004-2005 season, Malone decided to retire as a player on February 13, 2005.
• Karl Malone wore number 32 for the Utah Jazz. He wore number 11 for the Los Angeles Lakers (number 32 was retired honoring Magic Johnson) and also for the Dream Team (the players wore 4 to 15 to adhere to FIBA rules).