Los Angeles Lakers: Did ESPN’s all-time NBA ranking get it right?
By Amaar Burton
Karl Malone
ESPN rank: 17
Similar to Elgin Baylor, fellow Hall of Fame forward Karl Malone is an interesting case study if you want to know how much team accomplishments should factor into individual rankings.
“The Mailman” has an individual resume that is probably top-10 if you didn’t consider wins and losses. He is the NBA’s No. 2 career leading scorer, No. 7 leading rebounder, No. 2 in field goals made and No. 1 in free throws made.
Malone averaged 25.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz and one (his last season) with the Lakers. He’s a two-time league MVP, 14-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA pick and four-time All-Defensive Team pick.
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Looking at those accolades, Malone has a strong case for being the greatest power forward ever and one of the 10 greatest players ever.
But there’s a big zero on Malone’s resume under the “championships” category.
Malone went 0-3 in the NBA Finals, losing twice as the No. 1 option on the Jazz and once as a role player on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even worse, Malone also lost nine times in the first round of the playoffs despite spending most of his career playing with Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton and under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan.
As a result, Malone typically falls somewhere around 15th-20th in all-time rankings. At No. 17, he is the highest-ranked ringless player by ESPN.
If you place a high value winning, that’s about the right spot for Malone. If you think it shouldn’t matter for individual rankings, you’ll place him higher.