Malone, Karl Anthony

Malone, Karl Anthony,

1963–, American basketball player, b. Summerfield, La. He played basketball at Louisiana Tech Univ. and joined the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association in 1985. A power forward, he and point guard John Stockton formed a highly productive pick-and-roll duo who led the Jazz to the playoffs every year in their 18 years together, winning the Western Conference championship in 1997–98. Averaging 25 points per game during the regular season, and 24.7 in the playoffs, Malone—known as "The Mailman" for his ability to deliver the ball—was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. He also played for the 1992 and 1996 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team. After finishing his career with the Los Angeles Lakers (2003–4), he was an assistant coach for Louisiana Tech (2007–11).