Karl Malone, also known as “The Mailman”, is a retired professional basketball player who is considered one of the greatest strikers ever to play the game, hence his nickname, which was given to him for his consistent performance. The two-time MVP of the regular NBA season, who also served eleven times in the All-NBA First Team and three times in the NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, was revered not only for his talent but also for his consistency as he maintained a high level of play well into his 1940s.
Although he averaged a double-double in every season of his playing career and made the playoffs, Malone was unable to win an NBA championship. This makes him probably the most talented player who never won a ring.
Karl Malone Biography
Karl Anthony Malone was born and raised on a farm in Summerfield, Louisiana on July 24, 1963. He was raised only by his mother, Shirley. His father Shedrick Hay left his mother to marry another woman. As a young boy, Malone, who was the youngest of nine children, was forced to work on the farm when he was not doing school or after-school activities.
He attended Summerfield High School, where he was a star of the basketball team that won three consecutive titles between 1979 and 1981. Malone’s talent attracted the interest of a number of colleges, but his grades proved a problem for a number of them. Schools like the University of Arkansas didn’t mind, but Malone chose to stay close to where he lived, so he enrolled in the Technical University of Louisiana, which did not have a famous basketball program.
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In his first year of college, Malone did not play college basketball because he was working on his grades. After qualifying in the second year, he joined the team for the first time as a sophomore, averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds. As a junior, he helped his team set a 29-3 record when the school reached the top spot in the Southland Conference. It also qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in history. Malone maintained an All-Southland selection in all three years of college basketball and an All-American selection in his senior year of the second NABC team.
Upon graduation, Karl Malone was selected by Utah Jazz with the 13th overall selection in the 1985 NBA Draft. In his rookie year, he made the leap to the NBA All-Rookie Team with an average of 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds and finished third on the rookie of the year list. By 1988, Malone had grown into a very impressive player, averaging 27.7 points per game, earning his first of fourteen All-Star appearances and the first of fourteen All-NBA selections.
Karl Malone played a total of 19 professional seasons, 18 with Utah and 1 in Los Angeles for the Lakers before ending his career. He played a total of 1,476 regular NBA season games, the fourth-highest number of players in history, with an average of 25.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He appeared in the playoffs 193 times, averaging 24.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. While filling out his stat sheet in the NBA, Karl Malone was part of the original Dream Team that won gold medals at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Karl Malone Net Worth
Karl Malone is said to have a net worth of around $75 million. The former baller was able to put all the money he earned in his basketball career to good use because he owns a number of businesses, including a cattle farm and a used car dealership. He has also taken coaching jobs in the past, first as director of basketball at his alma mater and then as a big man coach at Jazz.
Malone’s Family – Wife and Children
Karl Malone is married to Kay Kinsey, the winner of the 1988 Miss Idaho USA Pageant, Kay Kinsey. The couple married on December 24, 1990, and together they have four children – three daughters and a son. They are Kadee, born November 8, 1991, Kylee, born April 7, 1993, Karl Jr., born May 8, 1995, and finally Karlee, born sometime in 1998.
Malone has other children from previous relationships. The first was twins Cheryl and Daryl Ford. They were born in June 1981 from his relationship with Bonita Ford. His other child is said to be former NFL player Demetrius Bell. Gloria Bell, Demetrius’ mother, gave birth to him at the age of thirteen while Malone was twenty. Unlike the Ford twins, Malone has never publicly accepted to be Bell’s father, although he has reached an out-of-court settlement with the family following a paternity suit.
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Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Birth Name: Karl Anthony Malone
Nickname: The Mailman
Date of Birth: July 24, 1963
Place of Birth: Summerfield, Louisiana
Nationality: American
Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
