Malone, Karl
Basketball
b. July 24, 1963, Summerfield, LA
Nicknamed the "Mailman" because of his ability to deliver the ball to the basket, the 6-foot-9, 256-pound Malone averaged 18.7 points in three years as a starter at Louisiana Tech and was chosen by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft.
His strength, explosive first step, and leaping ability make Malone especially effective around to the basket, and he often delivers points with thunderous slam-dunks. Malone is also one of the best rebounding forwards in the NBA.
He averaged only 14.9 points per game coming off the bench as a rookie, but since then he has averaged more than 20 points a season for 17 consecutive seasons, all with Utah.
Named to the all-NBA first team 11 times, Malone was also a second team choice twice and he was named to the third team once. In 1996, he was selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
Malone won the league's MVP award for the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons. He's one of only nine players to win the award more than once.
Though he was half of a formidable duo with guard John Stockton, the Jazz reached the NBA finals only twice during his tenure, in 1997 and 1998, but they lost to the Chicago Bulls both years.
Malone became a free agent after the 2002-03 season and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he hopes finally to play for an NBA champion.
Malone is the second-leading scorer in league history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he holds the NBA record with 11 consecutive seasons scoring 2,000 or more points (1987-88 to 1997-98). In 2001, he became the all-time leader in free throws made, and he ranks seventh all-time in rebounds.