This photo is from www.sltrib.com. It shows Karl Malone on the stage giving his induction speech with a video shot of fellow Hall of Famers Coach Jerry Sloan and John Stockton. Karl Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame today. I love Karl Malone. He was my favorite player for years. Yes, he was mouthy and emotional and he was also a damn good basketball player.
Last year, the HOF induction was on ESPN and I got to watch it. I thought maybe it would be on ESPN again this year. I realize now that the only reason ESPN carried the ceremony was because Michael Jordan was being inducted. John Stockton and Jerry Sloan were also inducted last year, and that was the highlight for me.
The induction ceremony was only on NBATV this year, so I couldn't watch. I wish I could have seen Malone's speech. I read about it on blogs and espn.com. Apparently he was emotional. I think that's okay. Being inducted into the HOF is awesome. Who wouldn't be choked up about it? Malone always wore his heart on his sleeve. If he hadn't been emotional, it would have been out of character. He always seemed to be just what he was. What you see is what you get. I like that in a person.
I have to admit that my heart broke a little bit the day he signed with the Lakers. Part of me thought, "How could you Karl?" and part of me hoped that he would get his ring. I couldn't bring myself to cheer for the Lakers that year anyway. I only hoped that Malone did well. Of course they didn't win the championship and Malone retired after that season. If he hadn't played that extra year, he would have been inducted with Sloan and Stockton last year, and that would have been great. But how can you fault a guy for going after his dream one last time? He only went to LA because he thought that would be his final best chance to win. Stockton had retired here, so the championship wasn't going to happen here when Stockton left.
Congratulation, Mailman! You deserve it. Thanks for 18 great seasons with the Jazz.
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