Karl Malone is one of the greatest basketball players to have ever played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 14-time All Star, two-time NBA MVP and 11 time member of the All-NBA First Team. During his 19 year career with Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers, he was widely regarded as one of the most complete players who could dominate both on offense and defense.
Nicknamed “The Mailman” by former teammate John Stockton for his consistency delivering points night after night, Karl Malone enjoyed an illustrious career that saw him finish third all time in total points scored in league history while being named to numerous accolades throughout his tenure. His impressive size at 6’9” made him an intimidating presence on court which helped establish himself as one of the best power forwards ever seen in professional basketball.
Throughout his long basketball career, Malone also achieved several milestones such as becoming second player alongside Michael Jordan to score over 30,000 points or winning gold medals at 1996 Summer Olympics when the USA Dream team took home first place honors in the Atlanta Games. On an individual level he won Most Valuable Player award twice during the 1989–90 season when he averaged 28.0 points per game along with 10 rebounds per game and again 1993–94 season where he upped these numbers up even further averaging 27 points per game and 11 rebounds per game respectively.
As successful as any other player before him, Karl Malone established himself among NBA’s elite during 1990’s era leading Utah Jazz deep into playoffs almost every single season only missing out championship title once against Chicago Bulls back 1997 despite having a 3:1 lead during finals series but eventually losing it 4:2 overall paving way for Bulls dynasty period that followed afterwards within same decade.
Karl Malone – Early Life and Education
Karl Anthony Malone was born in Summerfield, Louisiana and was the youngest of nine children. Growing up on a farm with his single mother Shirley, he often worked outdoors, chopping trees, hunting and fishing. He attended Summerfield High School where he led his basketball team to three consecutive Class C titles from 1979-1981.
Although recruited by the University of Arkansas coach Eddie Sutton, Malone opted for Louisiana Tech University which was closer to home. Joining their Bulldogs basketball team in his second year due to academic eligibility issues, Malone soon flourished under Coach Andy Russo; averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game across his three seasons there as an All-Southland selection – including reaching the Sweet 16 round in 1984/85 season when they finished at 29-3 atop the Southland Conference table.
Karl Malone – Utah Jazz
In the 1985 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz made a smart selection when they chose Karl Malone with their 13th overall pick. Despite being predicted to go much higher in the draft, Malone had already rented an apartment in Dallas expecting to join the Mavericks — who instead chose Detlef Schrempf. Under head coach Frank Layden, Malone was voted onto the 1986 NBA All-Rookie Team as he averaged 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds throughout his debut season and came third for Rookie of the Year votes.
On January 14, 1986, Malone led the Jazz to victory against Houston Rockets’ 20 game winning streak at home by scoring 29 points whilst rallying from a 96–89 deficit with 5 minutes and 36 seconds remaining to tie it up at 96–96. During his third year with Utah Jazz, they again reached postseason play but were eliminated during the first round by – you guessed it – Dallas Mavericks.
Although Malone’s average score rose to 20 per game in the playoffs, his shooting performance (49.6% field goals) and rebounding (8.9) remained below par. After two seasons playing for Jazz, Karl became their leader both in scoring (21.7 points) and rebounding(10.4 rebounds). In 24 out of 29 games between February 1st till April 3rd 1987 he was top scorer of each contest showing how essential he became for the team’s success over those years.
By the 1987–88 season, Karl Malone had become the cornerstone of the offense and John Stockton was directing play on the court. In 1988, his first All-Star Game appearance saw him averaging 27.1 points per game; that same year he earned a spot on the All-NBA Team for the first time in his career. This began an impressive streak of fourteen consecutive years being chosen as an All-Star. During that year’s NBA All-Star Game, Malone put up 22 points to lead all Western Conference players.
The Jazz finished with 47 wins and 35 losses, placing third in their division before they edged out Portland Trail Blazers in round one of playoffs only to be defeated by defending champions Los Angeles Lakers—led by superstars Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar—in seven games.
Despite scoring 31 points and taking 15 rebounds during game seven of that series, it wasn’t enough for them to take home victory as they were beaten 109–98 with Lakers going on to win overall championship title that year. Over eleven playoff games during 1988 Malone averaged 29.7 points and 11.8 rebounds throughout this campaign which led him to sign a ten-year contract worth $18 million come offseason.
In December 1988 Jerry Sloan took over from head coach Frank Layden who then became President, leading Malone into 1989 where he racked up 29.1 points per game (second highest behind Michael Jordan) along with 10.7 rebounds (fifth most). His performance at 1989 NBA All-Star Game saw him named MVP after finishing 28 point 9 rebound 3 assists tallies while Jazz ended 51–31 regular season results but were swept away three games straight by Golden State Warriors early on in playoffs despite Malone making history again being selected onto First Team honors under All -NBA roster.
From 1989-90 to 1990-91, Karl Malone had an incredible run. In the first game of the 1989–90 season he recorded 40 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists in a 122–113 win over the Denver Nuggets. On December 5th he scored 21 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a 94–80 road victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 17 days later, he tallied 52 points with 17 rebounds on a 114-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
On January 27th 1990, Malone achieved his career high of 61 points during a 144–96 victory against Milwaukee Bucks where he made an impressive 21 out of 26 field goals and 19 out 23 free throws. His third consecutive All-Star appearance came shortly after that – despite him having to sit it out due to an ankle injury – but still managed to lead his team in scoring for 24 games during their last 26 games stretch; among these was a 49 point performance versus Golden State Warriors and 45 versus Lakers on April 12th.
The Jazz finished off this successful regular season 55–27 only to be eliminated by Phoenix Suns within five games at the playoffs’ first round, although averaging 25.2ppg and 10.2rpg respectively throughout them all; which earned him yet another spot on NBA’s All-NBA First Team for three straight years.
Malone, who had achieved multiple All-NBA First Team selections in the late 1980s and early 1990s, continued to put up impressive stats throughout the decade. During this time he made numerous accomplishments: becoming the 19th NBA player to reach 20,000 career points (1995), being named an All-Star MVP with his teammate John Stockton (1993) and helping lead the Utah Jazz to their first ever Western Conference Finals appearance (1992).
However, despite these successes he encountered trouble when he committed a flagrant foul against Isiah Thomas of Detroit Pistons on December 14 1991. This led to him being suspended for one game without pay and fined $10,000 by the NBA. Although Malone was able to take his team as far as the Western Conference Finals three times between 1992 and 1996, they ultimately lost each time; twice to Houston Rockets who went on to become back-to-back champions.
Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz had a remarkable run in 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. After winning gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics, he returned to lead the Jazz to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. The team achieved an unprecedented 64 wins during the regular season of ’96-’97, with Malone claiming his first MVP award for his 27.4 points per game average.
In what many consider one of their greatest moments, they beat Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets on a last second shot by John Stockton before facing off against Michael Jordan’s Bulls in that year’s finals series. Though they were ultimately defeated 4–2, Malone put up excellent performances – including 21 points in Game 1 and 39 points in Game 5 – despite being hounded by two renowned defenders: Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
The Jazz, led by Malone’s 27 points per game and 62–20 record, were seated at the top of the Western Conference in season 1998. Despite his impressive performance, he lost out on his second MVP award to Michael Jordan. In a rematch with the Bulls in the Finals, Malone put up 21 points in Game 1 as they won 88-85.
He struggled to keep up these high numbers due to Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen’s swarming defense. However, in Game 5 at Chicago he scored 39 points – 17 for 27 shooting – and 9 rebounds; leading them to an 83-81 victory over the Bulls. The series went all 6 games but ultimately ended with a bitter loss after Jordan stole a pass from Malone with 18 seconds left and made a jump shot that gave them an 87-86 lead; resulting in their third consecutive championship title since 1991.
In 1998, during the lockout that shortened the 1998–99 NBA season, Karl Malone declared on his Los Angeles-based radio show that he would demand a trade from the Jazz due to perceived lack of respect from team owner Larry H. Miller and Utah media. A week later, however, Malone retracted this statement as he still wanted to play for the Jazz if “everything else was equal”. Following their return in February 1999, Malone won his second MVP award with a 37-13 record in a 50-game regular season.
The following years saw a decrease in championship contention; though they forced a game 6 against Portland Trail Blazers in 1999 playoffs, where Karl scored 23 points but earned a $10K fine for elbowing Brian Grant. Despite these setbacks and increasing age , Malone averaged 25.5 -20.6 points per game in the next four seasons before becoming a free agent after John Stockton’s retirement in 2003.
For almost two decades (1984-2003) starting point guard John Stockton and forward power Karl Malone formed one of most successful guard/forward combinations ever seen playing under coach Jerry Sloan’s system and perfecting pick and roll technique to highest level of efficiency with multiple 50+ win records except 1992–93 (47–35).
Karl Malone – Los Angeles Lakers
After a career spanning 18 years, Gary Payton and Karl Malone joined forces in the 2003-04 season to pursue their dream of an NBA championship with the Lakers. With Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and a strong supporting cast, they were favorites to win it all. The Lakers got off to a remarkable start but disaster struck when Malone suffered an injury against Phoenix that saw him miss 39 games.
He returned for the playoffs however, providing double digit scoring in 4 out of 5 first round games – including 30 points and 13 rebounds in one game – before helping shut down Tim Duncan during the conference semifinals versus San Antonio. They went on to beat Minnesota in 6 games which set up a showdown with Detroit for the title; sadly Malone sprained his knee again in game 3 and missed game 5 as Detroit won 4-1. Despite his long-held desire unfulfilled, he put forth valiant efforts throughout his final campaign at age 40.
Karl Malone – Retirement
After an illustrious 19-year NBA career, Karl Malone officially announced his retirement from the league in February 2005. Following a season with the Lakers, he underwent knee surgery and had personal issues with teammate Kobe Bryant, leading him to not return for another year. The New York Knicks sought to sign him for 2004–05 but it was speculated that Malone would eventually join the San Antonio Spurs.
After making his decision to retire public at a press conference in Utah’s Delta Center, his jersey number 32 was retired by the Jazz on March 23rd 2006; this honor also included being immortalized in bronze sculpture situated outside of EnergySolutions Arena next to fellow Hall-of-Famer John Stockton and having Salt Lake City’s 100 South renamed after both players: “Stockton & Malone”.
Karl Malone – Coaching career
On May 31, 2007, Karl Malone stepped into his alma mater Louisiana Tech University to become the Director of Basketball Promotion and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. He was also generous enough to donate an impressive $350,000 to the school’s athletics department. Later on in 2013, he returned to Utah Jazz as a Big Man coach for another stint with the team.
Karl Malone – Personal Life
Karl Malone married Kay Kinsey, the 1988 Miss Idaho USA pageant winner, on December 24th 1990. The couple have four children together; Kadee (born November 8th 1991), Kylee (born April 7th 1993), Karl Jr. “K.J.” (born May 8th 1995) and Karlee (born 1998). K.J. was invited to the 2018 NFL Combine after playing football at LSU.
In the late 1980s it had been reported by tabloid The Globe that Malone had been a defendant in paternity lawsuits brought forward shortly after he began his professional basketball career, claiming him as father of three children – two with Bonita Ford from his hometown Summerfield, Louisiana and one with Gloria Bell who was only 13 when she gave birth.
After settling out-of-court both lawsuits were confirmed with evidence suggesting 99% certainty of paternity for all three children by Malone himself before accepting them into his family life; Daryl and Cheryl Ford attending college at Louisiana Tech where their mother also played professionally for Detroit Shock WNBA team, while Demetress Bell went on to play offensive lineman for Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys NFL teams respectively before repairing his relationship with Malone in 2014 despite initially having stated in 2008 that it was ‘too late’ for them to build any kind of bond due to Father Time being “the biggest thief there is”
Karl Malone is an enthusiastic hunter and angler who owns a summer residence near the Kenai River in Alaska. In 1998, he took Chris Morris, Bryon Russell (from his Jazz team), several family members, corporate leaders of Q-Lube and winners of a Q-Lube contest on a four-day fishing outing to Alaska.
Karl Malone – NBA Legacy
Karl Malone is widely recognized as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, with his nickname “the Mailman” capturing his consistent on-court performance. He achieved two MVP awards, eleven All-NBA First Team nominations and three selections to both the All-Defensive First Team and Dream Team.
His remarkable longevity was also evident; at age 40 he became the oldest player to log a triple double and start for an NBA Finals team. Malone set numerous records throughout his career including seven times leading the league in free throws taken and made, most games started (1,471) without ever coming off the bench after his rookie season, third highest scoring record (36,928 points) over 1,476 games played on.516 shooting percentage – aided by Stockton’s pick-and roll passes. In addition they played together for an impressive 1,412 out of a possible 1,444 Jazz games over their time together (only missing 3 due to suspension).
In 2010, Karl Malone was recognized with the highest honor in basketball when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This double induction celebrated his individual career as well as his role on the triumphant 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team.
Karl Malone – Net Worth
Karl Malone is one of the most successful basketball players of all time, and it shows in his net worth. He has an estimated net worth of $55 million, which is a result of his impressive career earnings throughout his years in the NBA. Aside from basketball, Karl Malone has also made money through investments and endorsements.
How many games did Karl Malone miss in his NBA career?
Malone was famously resilient, rarely missing a game due to injury throughout his 18-season tenure with the Jazz. Ten times he played in all 82 regular season games and never missed more than two games per campaign. His remarkable durability enabled him to stay on the court and lead Utah to success.
How many 3’s did Karl Malone make?
He managed to hit 85 shots from beyond the arc in his career.
How many MVPs does Karl Malone have?
Karl Malone earned the honor of becoming two-time NBA Most Valuable Player following his exceptional performances in the 1996-97 and 1998-99 campaigns. He was recognized for his impressive displays, culminating in him being presented with MVP honors at the end of both seasons.
