Karl Malone.

Karl Malone. Karl Malone, born in 1963, American professional basketball player, one of the best players in history at the power-forward position. With his combination of strength, speed, and shooting accuracy, Malone ranked consistently among National Basketball Association (NBA) leaders in scoring and rebounding during the 1980s and 1990s. Karl Anthony Malone was born in Summerfield, Louisiana. He was educated at Louisiana Tech University, where he led the basketball team in scoring and rebounding in each of the three seasons he played there. At Louisiana Tech he was nicknamed the Mailman for his ability to deliver great performances under pressure. Malone was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft and quickly established himself as one of the league's best players. For six consecutive seasons, beginning in 1987-88, he averaged at least 27 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. Malone's baskets often resulted from passes from his teammate John Stockton, a guard who became the NBA's career assists leader in 1995. The two athletes, who began playing together in the 1985-86 season, formed one of the most consistently productive guard-forward combinations in basketball history. Malone played in numerous NBA All-Star games and was a member of the United States national basketball teams, known as Dream Teams, that won gold medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia. Malone was named the NBA's most valuable player (MVP) for the 1996-97 season after averaging 27.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He and Stockton led the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, where they were bested by the Chicago Bulls both years, each time 4 games to 2. Malone won the league MVP award a second time in 1998-99, averaging 23.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the third time. During the 2000-01 season Malone passed Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) on the NBA's career scoring list, moving into second place behind all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). With his 20.7 points per game scoring average in 2002-03, Malone added to his record for consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points each game (17 seasons). Following Stockton's retirement at the end of the 2002-03 season, Malone, after 18 years with the Jazz, signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.