Karl Malone is a renowned American retired professional basketball player who made a lasting impact on the sport during his illustrious 18-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Playing the power forward position, Malone spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz, forming a dynamic duo with his teammate John Stockton, and later had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team.
Malone's impressive career statistics include ranking third all-time in NBA history with 36,928 career points scored, behind only LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also holds the records for most free throws attempted and made, and is tied for the second-most first-team All-NBA selections with Kobe Bryant, behind only LeBron James. His achievements have solidified his status as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
The Utah Jazz drafted Malone in 1985 with the 13th overall pick in the first round, and he went on to appear in the playoffs every season of his career, including the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 with the Jazz. He played his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he made his third NBA Finals appearance in 2004.
Malone also had the distinction of competing with the United States national team in the Summer Olympic Games of 1992 and 1996, winning gold medals in both years.
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, both as an individual and as a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team.
