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Happy 52nd Birthday To Utah Jazz Legend Karl Malone

Greg Foster|

Ah, Pioneer Day. That annual 24th of July celebration filled with parades, elegant floats, swimming pools, ice cream, grilled meats and colorful explosives. And for others, an ice-cold barley pop to wash down a flakey piece of pie. No matter your preference, every Utahn’s heart should be swelling with pride.

To put a cherry on top of that pie, today also happens to be NBA and Utah Jazz icon, Karl Malone’s birthday. Go anywhere in this great state of ours—from the Wasatch Range of the north, to the Red Rocks of the south—and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone more revered than the Mailman.

It was July 24th, 1985 that Malone took his first steps on Utah soil. Around the same time, the annual Days of ’47 Parade was being held in downtown Salt Lake City. As legend would have it, Malone thought the parade was for him. Fast forward 30 years, after countless awards, accolades and a bronze statue in front of the Energy Solutions Arena, the parade might as well be an homage to No. 32.

Throughout his 19-year career, Malone used his tireless work-ethic to join the pantheon of NBA greatness. And once paired with fellow Beehive State hero, John Stockton, formed one of the game’s most formidable and celebrated duos.

When all was said and done, Karl retired having averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a laundry list of incredible accomplishments:

– NBA All-Rookie Team
– MVP of the 1989 All-Star Game
– Career-high 61 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1990
– Member of the 1992 Olympic “Dream” Team
– Co-MVP with John Stockton of the 1993 All-Star Game
– Gold Medal winner at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
– Selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history
– NBA MVP in both 1997 and 1999
– Named Utahn of the Year by the Salt Lake Tribune
– Henry B. Ida award winner for athletes who go out of their way to help others
– One of five players in NBA history to score 30,000 points
– 11x All-NBA First Team member
– 3x All-Defensive First Team member
– 12x NBA All-Star
– Most consecutive seasons with 2,000 points scored
– Most field goals made and attempted
– Most defensive rebounds
– NBA’s second all-time leading scorer
– 1,476 games played, 14,968 rebounds pulled down, and 36,928 points that hit home.
– Oh yeah, he also did this, which is especially heroic because Hulk Hogan is a weenie.

It’s safe to say that Malone’s jersey is never coming down from the ESA rafters.

Thanks for the memories, Karl. Thanks for your inexhaustible hustle, grit and determination. Thanks for the thrills. Thanks for your toughness (and your elbows). Thanks for your passion. Thanks for getting up at 5 am to go sprint mountains or lift boulders or whatever the hell you did to train. Thanks for the pick-and-roll. Thanks for the hammer dunks. Thanks for making the cowhide globe hit home. Thanks for finishing all those beautiful John Stockton dimes. Thanks for never quitting. Thanks for giving us fans something to cheer for. Thanks for everything. There will never be another one like you.  

I’ll be cracking open a cold one and finishing a slice of chocolate cream in your honor today. Cheers.

Next: Western Conference Midsummer Power Rankings

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