Karl Malone certainly made his mark in the NBA from his time with the Utah Jazz, but during his playing days, he also spent some time as a professional wrestler. One would think those two things wouldn't be correlated. Still, this conspiracy theory suggests not only that, but that Malone intentionally played badly in the final seconds of the 1998 NBA Finals.
During his appearance on "Pablo Torre Finds Out," TV producer Neil Punsalan floated this conspiracy theory: He believes that Malone and Dennis Rodman collaborated to promote their participation in professional wrestling during the 1998 NBA Finals, which was happening simultaneously. This included their physicality with each other during that series and flashing signs that WWE wrestlers from the 90s would flash.
He took it one step further by alleging that Malone was not "going 100%" on the infamous play where Michael Jordan stole the ball from him in the game's closing seconds that led to the famous shot Jordan hit over Bryon Russell to seal Utah's fate.
Correspondent Neil Punsalan alleges that Karl Malone wasn’t giving 100% in the 1998 NBA Finals because he was too busy promoting a professional wrestling match with Dennis Rodman.
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 9, 2025
He shares “proof,” including the play before “The Shot.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/k6R7sya778
The shot Jordan hit has been mired in controversy in Utah for years, as many believe he pushed off Russell to hit the game-winning clutch jumper. Many hold it against Malone for not passing out of the double in time, but the Jazz were still up when that play happened.
To see the entire scope of Punsalan's conspiracy theory, watch the video below on Torre's YouTube Channel.
This theory has some validity
Professional wrestling has a reputation for focusing on its entertainment value more than anything. That's why it's stayed as strong as it has for decades now. Hence, it's not wild to suggest that Malone and Rodman were playing up the drama for their WWE matchup.
However, to suggest that Malone played that up when the Jazz had a legitimate chance to tie the series at three games apiece so late in the game is pretty farfetched. Jordan simply made a smart play when the Bulls needed him to. Even then, if Jordan had missed that shot, the Jazz go into Game 7 with homecourt advantage and everyone would have forgotten about the steal.
That is a sequence that lives in Jazz infamy for the rest of time, but even with Malone's bad reputation in the playoffs, it would have been out of character to sell the team out in what was easily the most important game of the season, and honestly, the most important game in Jazz history.
The NBA has had conspiracy theories thrown at them for years. From referees supposedly rigging games to the league supposedly rigging the lottery, many have come to believe that the NBA alters the product for its own benefit.
If fans want to believe Malone's head wasn't in the game well enough for Jordan to steal that ball, they're more than entitled to do just that. It won't change the fact that Malone is a Jazz legend through and through, and that he took the team to heights they still haven't seen almost three decades later.