NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history
player. 118. . Power Forward. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 1985 (No. 13). Karl Malone. 7
Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
Differentiating between Karl Malone and John Stockton for value to the Utah Jazz is like deciding whether peanut butter or jelly are more important to a PB&J. Their careers almost perfectly overlapped, as each helped the other reach the highest heights of their potential.
A Louisiana native, “The Mailman” played college basketball at Louisiana Tech, making all-conference teams, but otherwise putting in the work outside of the spotlight of the national stage.
While the likes of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were making magazine covers, Malone was polishing fundamentals and preparing for a long Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame career.
Multiple teams passed on Malone in the 1985 NBA Draft, allowing him to fall to the Utah Jazz at No. 13 overall. While not as loaded as the year before, the 1985 NBA Draft saw a number of elite players join the league, including Patrick Ewing (No. 1), Chris Mullin (No. 7) and Joe Dumars (No. 18). Malone would spend the next 18 seasons playing for Utah.
Over that span, he made 14 consecutive NBA All-Star Game appearances from 1988 to 2002 and 11 consecutive appearances on the All-NBA First Team (1989 to 1999). In total, he was a 14-time All-NBA selection, as well as a four-time All-Defensive selection.
In 1997 and 1999, Malone was the league’s MVP. Although he and Stockton never won a title, Malone gave the franchise an incredible level of production for an entire generation.