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32 Reasons Why I Love the Mailman
Posted by: David J. Smith on July 28th, 2010
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.As was the case ten years ago, Karl Malone has been in the news this week (After all, we just threw another parade to celebrate his June 24th birthday…). I think many were naturally surprised when the Mailman selected Willis Reed to introduce him into the Hall of Fame next month, instead of one Mr. John Stockton or a certain HOF coach in Jerry Sloan. But I admire his decision, selecting a childhood hero. He did what he felt was right for him. Let me add that to the growing list of reasons I love Karl Malone.
With this in mind, I present to you 32 reasons why the Mailman will always have a place in my heart:
1: He was half of one of the best tandems in sports history, let alone basketball. There will never been anything to rival Stockton to Malone. Agreed? Good.
2: Karl was always his own person. Make fun all you want about his referring to himself in the third person, or his bouts in the ring, or his big rigs, and so on and so on. Really, how can you not respect someone who is who he is…in front of millions of people?
3: As Larry H. Miller would say, “they broke the mold when they made Karl Malone (and John Stockton).” Missing a mere 10 games in 18 seasons while playing through countless injuries. 55,000 minutes played. Current NBA players could stand to study up on the recent past’s greats.
4: Malone was and is fiercely loyal. He stuck with Jerry Sloan through thick and thin. He had his spats with LHM, but was with him at his bedside during those last days. He always had Stock’s back (note one dark night versus Detroit). He was as dependable and trustworthy a teammate as one could find.
5: One of the most underrated aspects of his game: his passing. Everyone talks about Webber, Divac, and Barkley as slick dishing big men. Where’s Karl in these conversations? 5,248 career dimes for an average of 3.6 per. Pretty impressive.
6: As the second leading scorer in the game’s history, I can think of 36,928 more reasons the Mailman delivered.
7: It was amazingly valuable to have someone who could get to the line at will. Teams that have one (or two) such players always go far. That greatly aided what became standard 50+ win seasons
8: The way Karl fit into the fabric of Utah won the hearts of his fans. I wonder if any group of fans embraces players who embrace the community as much as Jazz followers. As we saw last week, he still makes his presence known in the Wasatch Front.
9: As proof that the All-Star balloting is a sham, Karl and his 31 ppg lost out on a starting roster spot to the illustrious AC Green. How did he respond? 61 points and 18 caroms in 33 exhilarating minutes. I remember watching that game feeling nothing but pity for the Milwaukee Bucks…before the game even started. 
(ignore the annoying intro)
10: The Mailman put in the work needed to fix aspects of his game. His much chronicled woes at the charity stripe epitomize this perseverance. Ditto with his jump shot, passing, and defense.
11: It was always great when he stripped the ball from an opposing big man. Always led to something good and frightened the daylights out of these poor big men.
12: What boy did not imitate (on the seven-foot hoops) the trademark Karl dunk…you know, where he put his hand on the back of his head. Don’t deny it…you did it.
13: Two-time MVP. Bill Simmons can say whatever he wants about the 1997 MVP award (those who have read the Book of Basketball know exactly what I am talking about), but it was well-deserved. Ditto on the 1999 award.
14: Winning two All-Star MVPs, the latter in from of the hometown Delta Center crowd and alongside #12. Along with that, his 14 appearances in the midseason event are amazing.
15: His nickname. One of the best monikers of all-time.
16: Karl’s longevity. Were we ever pampered to be able to watch true greatness for nearly two decades? See reason #1 and multiply that by 18 years.
17: The acts of kindness rendered, both seen and unseen, shows his character. Yes, he had some baggage off the court, but he made great efforts to help others. He befriended young cancer patients, signed autographs for countless fans (including me), volunteered around SLC, and was known to hand out large bills to those down on their luck. He is a big man with a big heart.
18: The way he took care of himself. This was a huge reason why he was able to be a true ironman. He still looks like he could play 20 mpg at age 47.
19: The Mailman was never afraid to say what needed to be said to teammates and coaches. He did not mince words when trying to light a fire under someone (yes, I’m referring to you Greg Ostertag).
20: John and Karl were part of the greatest teams we’ve seen in sports, the Dream Teams of 1992 and 1996. He should’ve also been on the 1984 squad and I think his snub was a motivation to him (and Stockton). Thank goodness for that.
21: His passion was contagious. Here was our leading scorer diving on the floor, digging out loose balls, and giving it his all every game. I call that leading by example.
22: He was recipient of two of the most memorable passes in Jazz lore: the awkward one that secured Stock’s place as the all-time assist man and “the Pass” in the NBA Finals. The latter was a priceless pass, but it was also a remarkable catch.
23: He had some fun battles with specific individuals…Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, and Shawn Kemp. Pre-Duncan David Robinson was petrified of him.
24: He also helped other lesser players show their true characters: Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, and Dennis Rodman. Boy, did he get under their skin or what?
25: No one ran the floor like Malone. How many times did he snatch a rebound, outlet it to John, and then beat everyone down the court for the dunk?
26: The ultimate “roll” in the ultimate pick and roll…one for the ages.
27: One of my earliest basketball memories was watching the fantastic 1988 series vs. the Lakers, where the upstart Utah Jazz pushed the defending champions to the brink of elimination. Karl was an absolute stud in that series, especially in the game six blowout. That put him—and the Jazz—on the NBA map. 
28: Another Bill Simmons favorite…the draft day outfit. 
29: We will never forget two bear hugs the Mailman delivered, the one he shared with John and Jeff after the hallmark moment in Jazz history…and the one he gave Clyde Drexler to free up Stock. An absolutely legal bear hug at that. 
30: I never saw this, but I’m sure some remember the promos for Karl’s film debut, playing the role of Elijah Abel in the local movie Rockwell. Looked like a prize-winner.
31: His emotional speech at John Stockton’s retirement ceremony. Real men cry.
32: Many greats wore this number—Magic, McHale, Shaq, and Kidd—but there’s only one #32 in my book…
Am I missing any reasons? Let us hear yours!
Replies: 21
Views: 4110
21 Responses
Great post. I wish we had John and Karl come out of retirement and come off the bench
Great post, but I was wondering if the blank white squares are supposed to be pictures/videos instead of blank
I’ll have to come back to see them once that issue is fixed!
@Trent…not sure. It did that for me too, but when I clicked on one, all of the YouTube videos popped up. Hope that might do the trick. Sorry Trent!
I LOVE KARL AND ALWAYS WILL, BUT WILL NEVER SUPPORT HIS DECISION THAT IN MY OPINION TARNISHED HIS LEGACY WHEN HE BOLTED FOR LA IN HOPES OF A FAST CHAMPIONSHIP, JOHN STOCKTON HAD CLASS WHEN HE SAID IF HE DIDDN’T GET ONE WITH UTAH THEN HE DIDDN’T WANT ONE, OTHER THAN THAT KARL WAS THE MAN
Did we really just throw a parade for his June 24th birthday? I could’ve sworn it was July 24th a few days ago when we did parades. Question, are you Jazzbots paid to do this and required to start blogs on a regular basis? Just wondering, because I’ve noticed all the Jazzbots are consistently starting posts. Someone educate me on this.
Do like Malone though. Never thought of making a huge list of 32 reasons why I like him and don’t know if I could, so props. This was fun to read.
Trent- yes, those are youtube videos and they work fine on mine, so I think you can get them working
Brandon- don’t bash Malone for wanting a ring. All NBA players want a ring.
Malone didn’t do anything illegal. Look at what Drexler did when the Jazz started their motion. Many people saying he was illegal screening for John, but Drexler moved “AWAY” from John during the motion. Second, he still had his feet on the ground and not only that, look at the motions of Drexler’s feet, he was pushing “AGAINST” Karl. I hate how people don’t notice those things. Also, when Karl went to LA in his final year, Magic took his own jersey down and gave Malone the number 32.
@ Adam–thanks for the comments! Karl’s birthday is indeed July 24th and he didn’t know about Pioneer Day when he was drafted and thought the parade attendees were there to help him celebrate. Classic!
As Jazzbots, we are not paid, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to show our passion for our Jazz. We have a schedule where we try to write once a week or so. It’s been great and the new UJ360 site helps unite Jazz fans even more. Hope that answers your questions!
That does make a lot of sense. Thanks for the education David. Now I know what a Jazzbot is.
Thanks David, that was a nice post.
One of my best memories of Malone was his performance in Game 5 of the 1998 Finals. The Jazz were down 3-1 to the Bulls and everyone assumed Chicago would win it on their home floor…Malone scores 37 to send the series back to Salt Lake City. Granted, the outcome of Game 6 ended the fairy tale, but that doesn’t take away from the Mailman’s brilliant performance with the team’s collective back against the wall in Game 5.
One other thing I love about Malone is that to this day he is still the model that every franchise seeks to match when they draft a “project”…a raw, unpolished talent that some team hopes they can develop. Malone came into the league with a ridiculous body and a ton of potential, but he was completely rough around the edges (shot 48% from the free throw line as a rookie). The guy was probably the hardest working player in the history of the league. Malone turned himself into something not even the Jazz could have imagined when they drafted him.
And don’t sweat Adam’s snarky tone on your June 24th typo. We know what you meant.
Remember his free throw routine? The bounce and silent chant? The way all the other teams hated how long it took? Classic. Did he ever tell anyone what he was saying?
@James Thanks for the comments and the memories of Karl. That game was one of many where Karl carried the team on his back. He gets villified because of MJ’s steal in game six and for some missed free throws, but he and John got us there in the first place and played as hard as they could. Agree about other teams trying to copy the Jazz model with Karl!
And @Kaleb, how could I possibly forget to include the free throw routine? Thank you for the reminder!
@Kalab…right on with the free throw routine! I think it was like “Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam…no one knows the actual words because there aren’t any…at this point, Eddie Vedder will put all sorts of stuff into that song and it’s almost like a running joke. I think Malone mouthed all sorts of different things up there at the line.
Excellent post, David! There was a little to dislike about Malone, but so much more to love.
He and Stock were indeed one of the best tandems in sports history. They deserved to win a title, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Karl did so many good things to help people out when they were in need, and so many of these things we will never know about because he didn’t do them for the publicity. Here are a couple things that did make their way into the newspaper.
After Hurricane Katrina, Karl told FEMA to get out of his way so he could help the victims.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-29-malone-katrina_x.htm
Karl helping the Samoan tsunami victims.
http://www.rustonleader.com/sports.php?id=6117
Thank you Karl!
This is from an email that ended up getting forwarded around after Hurricane Katrina.
the mailman delivered today, bigtime.
we had the malone family with us almost all day long at the shelter. they arrived – karl, his stunning wife (she looks like a grown-up tyra), their four enormously courteous and well-behaved children, and a former wnba player who now works for malone – early, dressed in exactly the same sort of working clothes as the rest of us – and went to work.
after the hurricane, malone contacted some of his utah connections and asked that a drive be held in salt lake city to collect supplies for his home folks, telling them that we had been abandoned by the red cross. the result was something over three tractor-trailer loads of donated goods of all sorts: food, newly-purchased children’s clothing and shoes, water, medical supplies, diapers, baby formula, school supplies, lots and lots and LOTS of everything. when the drive was nearly finished, malone sent three or four of his own 18 wheelers to utah to fetch the goods.
today the goods arrived, and the malones were there with the rest of us, working and doing this and that while we awaited the trucks. there is always plenty to do, and they were as willing as anyone. i heard mrs malone cautioning the children about waiting until every single evacuee had eaten before thinking of getting into line themselves. “we can eat anytime,” she said, “we want to make sure these people get every bite of food they need or want.” (all of the malone children, it should be noted, look as if they could put away a serious amount of groceries).
malone brought his own forklift and himself unloaded the trucks, moving the huge boxes ten at a time to pallets laid out by volunteers along the ground behind the shelter. then, box by box, the goods were brought into the shelter, and the unpacking and sorting began. he can drive a forklift as well as he ever played defense, and with considerably less danger to anyone’s life and limb.
the locals did not make a huge issue of his celebrity, in part because they were all too tired and busy, in part because of the unobtrusive manner in which malone himself, along with his wife, handled their presence there. it was funny, when i had time to notice, to see the reactions of some of our evacuees; they were unaware of the whole thing until he arrived (through the back door, very quietly), and he is, after all, difficult to miss. he suddenly was just there, the room now holding seven additional people, one the largest in the room, one the most beautiful. the heads would swivel and then swivel again. even in dire straits, most of them recognized him. “what in the world is karl malone doing here?” an obviously overwhelmed sportsfan from arabi asked me. “he’s from here,” i said, “just like the rest of us.”
Karl is a volunteer deputy in Claiborne and Union Parishes. He also donated 2 $12,000 crime dogs to the Union Parish Police Department.
@ Ryan–Thank you so much for including those links and the e-mail. Karl is an amazing philanthropist and the fact that he goes out and works as hard as anyone and does so as selflessly as he does speaks volumes to who Malone really is. More reasons to add to the list of why we love our Mailman!
great post! I went to Karl’s birthday party last week and was able to get my picture taken with him. I was suprised how star struck I was. I had planned out in my head all that I would say but then all that came out of my mouth was can I take a picture with you sir, then thank you sir
If you haven’t been out to his dealership in Draper to see his collection of nba memorabilia you really should its great.
I have alway thought that Karl has been underrated as time as gone on. I do think he is the best PF in NBA history.
No problem. I am a Louisiana Tech alumnus, and I could go on and on about all the great things Karl has done. It sickens me when his critics say he’s a bad person because of the mistakes he made when he was younger. We have all made mistakes, but Karl has more than made up for his. He has done more good for folks than people like us could ever dream about doing, and he does those things because he genuinely cares about helping others, not for publicity. Like you said, he is a big man with a big heart, and that is his legacy here in Louisiana. He has done so much for our community. He’s a regular at the Boys and Girls Club and speaks to youth groups at local churches. He has 20 season tickets to all of Louisiana Tech’s sports and gives them away to people who can’t afford them. He’s on staff as LA Tech’s Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and serves as the Director of Basketball Promotions all for an annual salary of one dollar. He paid for Tech’s Karl Malone Weight Room and the Karl Malone Court, and he’s also donated a lot of money to the Lady Techster volleyball team. He is also the director of a Tech basketball fundraising campaign called ATAC. He’s a member of the Team Tech 100, a club that pledges to donate over $100,000 to the athletics department over a 4 year period. At Tech’s football Red Out game on ESPN last year, Karl was there decked out in red from head to toe and talked about academics and the importance of education in his interview with Lou Holtz. He’s started so many little business in North Louisiana. He started a timber company for his son Daryl Ford, Cheryl’s twin brother. I know he built a Huddle House in Farmerville for an old friend to manage after he had lost his job. He’s building restaurants and shopping centers to help create jobs and boost our economy. He still does manual labor for his Malone Timber Company where thinned out the timber and cleared lots for a neighborhood in Choudrant. On a personal level, I’ve talked with his daughter Cheryl, and she said that he has more than made up for not being a part of her childhood. Also, my family inherited some land in Union Parish (split up amongst dozens of relatives). The highest offer we got on it was $200K, but Karl bought it for $1 million so he could build a hunting club. That was 5x more than he needed to pay for it. I’ve forgotten so many stories about the great things he’s done for the community. He’s just done more than anybody could ever imagine. I just wanted to share some of these things that his fans in Utah and elsewhere probably haven’t heard. And one for thing, Karl loved his mama more than anybody in the world. I am just so thankful for everything that Karl has done. God bless.
Two more reasons, with the Lakers sorry for that but they are good ones:
– november 30, 2003, 10pts 11rbds 10ass in 26 min, the oldest player to score a triple-double at the age of 40
– april 25, 2004, 30pts 13rbds, the oldest player to score 30pts
why they are good ones, coz SORRY FOR YOU MJ, YOU DIDN’T DO THAT, BUT OUR MAILMAN DID….