Malone, Karl (1963-…), was one of the most dominant power forwards in basketball history. Standing 6 feet 9 inches (206 centimeters) tall and weighing about 255 pounds (116 kilograms), Malone was known for his strength and his ability to both score and rebound. During his 19-year professional career, Malone scored 36,928 points. At the time of Malone’s retirement, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had scored more points. Malone holds the National Basketball Association (NBA) record for most free throws made (9,787).
Karl Anthony Malone was born on July 24, 1963, in Summerfield, Louisiana. He starred at Louisiana Tech University for three seasons before turning professional after his junior year in 1985. Utah drafted him as the 13th selection in the first round. Malone was a member of the United States teams that won the gold medal in basketball at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
Malone played for the Utah Jazz for most of his career, from 1985 to 2003. In July 2003, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone was one of the most durable players in NBA history. He missed only four games his first 12 seasons with the Jazz. Malone won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the 1996-1997 and 1998-1999 seasons. In 1996, he was named to the NBA’s 50th anniversary team of the league’s 50 top players. Malone retired in 2005. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
