NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s

48 of 50

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone(Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /

50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 3. Karl Malone

Karl Malone was the other half of the Utah Jazz’s dynamic duo that was rising to stardom in the new decade.

Already a two-time All-Star and an All-Star Game MVP, Malone was the NBA’s MVP in 1996-97 and 1998-99 and earned nine All-Star berths—sharing All-Star MVP honors with teammate John Stockton in 1993.

He was All-NBA all 10 years in the 1990s and was also named to three All-Defensive teams.

And he was a key ingredient as the Jazz reached back-to-back NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, losing to the Chicago Bulls in six games each time.

In the 1997 Finals, Malone averaged 23.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 40.8 minutes per game, shooting .443/0-for-1/.603. In 1998, those averages were 25 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and a steal in 40.5 minutes per game on .504/0-for-1/.789 shooting.

Malone was the 13th overall pick out of Louisiana Tech in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Jazz and remained in Utah until signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2003.

He officially retired in February 2005 and last played in the 2004 NBA Finals.

In the 1990s, Malone averaged 27.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 38.2 minutes per game, shooting .531/.282/.751.

He was the NBA’s leader in the decade with 21,370 points and was second with 8,427 rebounds and an average of 27.2 points per game, 13th with 1,105 steals, eighth with an average of 10.7 rebounds per game and 11th with a field-goal percentage of .531.

He is fourth in NBA history with 1,476 games, second with 54,852 minutes played and 36,928 points, sixth with 14,968 rebounds, 10th with 2,085 steals, 25th with an average of 37.2 minutes per game, 13th with an average of 25 points per game, 39th with an average of 10.1 rebounds per game and 46th with an average of 1.4 steals per game.

Another member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1997, Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.