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Malone, Karl
Identification American basketball player
Born July 24, 1963; Summerfield, Louisiana
Characterized by consistency and durability, Malone’s
nineteen-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca-
reer flourished in the 1990’s. During the decade, he received
two Olympic gold medals and two Most Valuable Player
Awards and led the Utah Jazz to successive appearances in
the NBA Finals.
On January 27, 1990, allegedly disgruntled by his ex-
clusion from the starting lineup of the Western Con-
ference All-Star Team, Karl Malone scored a career-
high (and Utah Jazz franchise record) sixty-one
points against the Milwaukee Bucks. The effort was
part of his strongest statistical season and was a har-
binger of Malone’s decade-long dominance of the
power forward position. In the 1990’s, he was the
only player selected to the All-NBA First Team each
season and made a total of eleven appearances on
the team over the course of his career.
Malone finished his career as the second-highest
all-time scorer in NBA history, behind Kareem Ab-
dul-Jabbar. Malone’s total was augmented by his for-
tuitous partnership with point guard John Stockton,
the NBA’s career assists leader. The two were team-
mates for sixteen seasons and utilized the pick-and-
roll to confound opponents and produce unprece-
dented success for the Jazz franchise. Beginning in
1992, the Jazz advanced to the Western Conference
Finals five times in seven years. “When we play the
game like we’re supposed to play it, it is pretty easy.
Making the extra pass, making the simple play, it’s
not about between your legs, behind your back, and
all of that, it’s just about scoring the bucket,” Malone
said, highlighting the team’s work ethic.
In 1997, Malone received the first of his two Most
Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and guided the Jazz
into the NBA Finals against the team of the decade,
Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. With the series tied
after four games, Jordan, sick with the flu, scored
thirty-eight points to help Chicago win game five in
Utah. In a close game six, the Bulls eliminated the
Jazz. The following year, the two teams finished with
identical 62-20 regular-season records and met
again in the NBA Finals. With his team down three
games to one, Malone had his strongest Finals per-
formance—thirty-nine points, nine rebounds, and
five assists—to force a game six. With time expiring
in game six, Jordan made a twenty-foot jump shot
that gave Chicago a 87-86 lead and its sixth champi-
onship of the 1990’s. Malone returned once more to
the NBA Finals—in 2004, his only season with the
Los Angeles Lakers—but was hampered by a knee
injury; as evidence of his integral role with the team,
his inability to contribute cost the Lakers the cham-
pionship.
Malone’s durability—he played in at least eighty
games in all but two seasons—was partly attributable
to his fitness regimen. He cultivated an intimidating
physique and employed a physical playing style. Op-
ponents often accused Malone of playing dirty; on
one occasion, Isiah Thomas required forty stitches
above his eye because of contact with one of Ma-The Nineties in America Malone, Karl 549
Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone, left, defends against the
Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan during game two of the 1997 NBA
Finals.(AP/Wide World Photos)