Posted on 02/14/2005 2:19:38 PM PST by pissant
One of the National Basketball Association greats has decided to call it quits. Karl Malone, who has not played this season because of injuries, officially announced his retirement Sunday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Malone made the long-expected announcement at the home arena of the Utah Jazz, the team he played with for 18 of his 19 seasons.
"I would like to officially announce my retirement from the game of basketball, playing-wise," he said. "Now, where that leads to after that, in some capacity, we will sit down and make that decision as a family."
Malone, 41, also promised that he would not attempt to make a comeback on the court. In his words, "You will not see me play again. That is a promise."
Karl Malone played his first 18 seasons with the Jazz before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the hope of claiming the NBA title that eluded him throughout his career. But he missed almost half the 2003-2004 season with injuries and the Lakers were beaten in five games by the Detroit Pistons in last year's NBA Finals.
"The thing that will stick with me for the rest of my life is not winning a championship," he said. "I am not going to lie to you. That was my ultimate goal, but that was a team goal, not an individual goal."
Nicknamed "the Mailman" for his ability to deliver in key games, the two-meters-six Malone was selected as one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History" in 1996. He won the league's Most Valuable Player award twice, in 1997 and 1999, and finishes his career in second place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 36,928 points, just 1,459 behind the record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In addition to his achievements in the NBA, Malone was also a member of gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic "Dream Teams" in 1992 and 1996.
One of the greatest things to ever happen to the franchise. He did good. The Jazz could sure use him now!
Malone's a Republican. You beat me to it.
After Stockton and Malone have now retired, the amount of NBA teams that actually pass the ball and play a team game have dropped to zero.
Wasn't Malone considering running for governor of Utah at one time?
Is going to concentrate on his Beanie Baby collection.
I always liked Malone. I'll never forget when he got choked up on TV the day he was drafted into the NBA. he alwayws seemed like a hard-working, classy individual.
What a shame it is that no US news org covered this story. ;O)
Isn't he from Arkansas? How about him against Pryor?
Didn't he do a lot for a kid with cancer?
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any NBA players left who even know what the Pick and Roll is.
I'm pretty sure he went to Louisiana Tech, but I'm not sure where he's from originally.
I have to disagree, to some extent. While there aren't any like Stockton, Nash is racking up double-digits assists every night and running a very fun old-school offense. And LeBron James, the face of the new NBA, is averaging close to 10 assists per game over the last few weeks, which is astounding considering the me-first mentality which most high-schoolers bring to the game. Watch a Cavs game: LeBron looks to pass before he looks to shoot, every time.
Paging Jimmy Kimmel....paging Jimmy Kimmel
I think he is from LA. Cajun country, ya know.
For a long time...he had his CDL...may still.
So in the off season...he made money by owning his own little trucking company. The truck he drove was really nice...as you can imagine...was very nice.
Great player but a cheap shot artist----I would bet steroids are a big part of his daily life. I've seen him up close several times and he has all the indicators of steroid use.
>>And a Republican to boot.<<
I thought I remembered hearing he was.
I must admit, I didn't like him much when he played against the Bulls dynasty of the 90's. But, obviously because he was good.
Well done, Mr. Malone, well done.
I have a poster of him in his second or third season. I never knew he was republican, now I know why I liked him so much.
Certainly not on the last team of his employment (Lakers)...
I don't think so. He has a reputation for a very dedicated workout schedule and long sessions in the weight room. His body did not develope in just a short time. He definitely does not have the 'roid head'.
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