Karl Mailman Malone

Karl (Mailman) Malone is the most interested observer, and maybe the most active participant, in the current Lakers-Jazz series. And after Tuesday night's 111-109 Laker victory at the Forum, Malone might also be the most surprised. The morning of the game, maybe exercising some wishful thinking, Malone said, "They (the Lakers) think it's over with, I can tell. They're thinking, 'Now we go back home.' They think it's over with, they think it's gonna be a cruise for them." This was no cruise.

Karl Malone is suing Dada Footwear, charging the Los Angeles shoe company has failed to pay him $65,000 owed under an endorsement contract. The suit claims that Dada agreed to make three payments of $25,000 to Malone during the 2003-04 regular season and an additional $40,000 for playing in the NBA Finals, a figure derived from a scale of postseason bonuses that increased as the Lakers advanced in the playoffs. The Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.

When Karl (Mailman) Malone wants to relax and unwind, he has the perfect partner--Nikki. Nikki is a baby snake, and what could be more heartwarming than the story of a power forward and his python? "She loves to be in my belt loops, and to wrap around my arm," Mailman says. "It's something that really relaxes me like nothing else, my pets. It's funny, I used to hate snakes. Now I wake up, I look up at the cage, and there's a snake in my bedroom."

Karl Malone brought an official end to his career here Sunday, right where it should end, in the same place it started. We know Malone will always be thought of primarily as a member of the Utah Jazz, his team for his first 18 years in the NBA. But we learned something else this weekend: While the Jazz got the best part of Karl Malone's career, we in Los Angeles got the best part of Karl Malone. Malone's No.

And they say Pat Riley can't win the big ones. Capping a weekend spiced with controversy, tension, dissension, violence, levity and levitation, not to mention nap-time visions by a Mailman, Riley's smartly drilled and divinely guided Western Conference All-Stars defeated the Eastern All-Stars, 143 to 134 in the Astrodome. Riley, who also coaches the Lakers, reportedly has been waking in a cold sweat at nights, out of nightmares where he is reading his own newspaper obituary.

With a sly smile, Karl (the Mailman) Malone said he has a message he wants sent to the Lakers. "We're going back to L.A.," the Utah Jazz forward proclaimed here Wednesday afternoon. "That's a guarantee."

Weeks before she died, Shirley Malone sat across from her son, Karl, in the kitchen of his ranch house, set on 5,000 acres of timber and ponds in southern Arkansas. She was 64. Karl had been her youngest for 20 years, and then she had her last, a girl. Still, it was Karl who would forever be regarded as the baby, even if he would grow to 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, with arms and shoulders almost as thick as the trees he felled and pulled through town on the beds of massive logging trucks.

Karl Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, will not play for the Lakers if he decides to play again because he is infuriated by comments made publicly and privately to him by Kobe Bryant. Malone had been favoring a return to the Lakers, but that was before Bryant's comments Monday in a radio interview that his Newport Beach neighbor would retire.

Kobe Bryant spoke out Sunday about his deteriorated relationship with Karl Malone, referring to Malone as an "older brother" and expressing deep-seated disappointment regarding Malone's alleged actions at a Laker game last month. Bryant narrowed his eyes angrily numerous times while discussing further details of the fallout between the Newport Beach neighbors that stemmed from a cellphone conversation between Malone and Bryant's wife, Vanessa, during the Lakers' Nov.

Forward Karl Malone has agreed to an eight-year contract with the Utah Jazz, team officials said. Word of the agreement, negotiated personally by Malone with Jazz owner Larry Miller, filtered out of Ruston, La., where Malone was honored Saturday by his alma mater, Louisiana Tech. At a banquet in Ruston attended by Frank Layden, Jazz president, and Coach Jerry Sloan, Layden told the audience that an announcement on Malone's new contract with the club would be made within a week.

Karl Malone, who spent 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz before joining the Lakers for an eventful yet unfulfilled final season, will announce his retirement Sunday in Salt Lake City. Malone, 41, scored 36,928 points, second to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in NBA history, and carried a reputation of being unafraid to throw an elbow if it helped get a rebound or clear space on the way to the basket. And that, he said Friday, was how he wanted to be remembered.

Karl Malone will decide on his future in the next week or two and is moving closer to retirement, his agent, Dwight Manley, said Monday. Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, might come back to play for the San Antonio Spurs, although he doesn't appear to be leaning that way. "Probably toward retirement, just because that's what he is right now, theoretically," Manley said. "Things usually go the direction of where you're at."

Laker owner Jerry Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak met Thursday with Karl Malone and reiterated their desire to hire Malone for a front-office position, but did not discuss Malone's return to the Lakers as a player. The meeting was arranged by both sides in the wake of a public feud between Malone and Kobe Bryant, who accused Malone of hitting on his wife, Vanessa, at a Nov. 23 game at Staples Center. The lunchtime meeting in Newport Beach also included Malone's agent, Dwight Manley.

Kobe Bryant spoke out Sunday about his deteriorated relationship with Karl Malone, referring to Malone as an "older brother" and expressing deep-seated disappointment regarding Malone's alleged actions at a Laker game last month. Bryant narrowed his eyes angrily numerous times while discussing further details of the fallout between the Newport Beach neighbors that stemmed from a cellphone conversation between Malone and Bryant's wife, Vanessa, during the Lakers' Nov.

This isn't about Karl Malone, who would not be the missing piece that gets the Lakers to the NBA Finals. It's about 2007, and the Lakers' ability to attract a free agent who can vault them back into championship consideration once they get under the salary cap. And so far Kobe Bryant is proving much more adept at sending Hall of Famers away than attracting them to Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant stepped into the semicircle of TV cameras and hand-held digital voice recorders and said he was sorry for whatever storm had been created by his words. Wearing a yellow practice jersey and gray sweat pants after Wednesday morning's shoot-around, Bryant said he had no idea Karl Malone would be offended enough to never return to the Lakers.

Game 1 Malone had 21 points and 14 rebounds in 43 minutes, but that came with labored nine-for-25 shooting. Jordan was better from the floor (13 of 29) with 33 points in 46 minutes. Game 2 Another bad game for Malone, who made only five of 16 shots and scored only four points in the second half. Jordan made only 14 of 33 shots in 40 minutes, but he dominated at times and scored 37 points, including the go-ahead three-point play off a great rebound and assist by Steve Kerr.

Karl Malone brought an official end to his career here Sunday, right where it should end, in the same place it started. We know Malone will always be thought of primarily as a member of the Utah Jazz, his team for his first 18 years in the NBA. But we learned something else this weekend: While the Jazz got the best part of Karl Malone's career, we in Los Angeles got the best part of Karl Malone. Malone's No.

Karl Malone answered the phone at his Arkansas ranch with a sigh. It was late, he was tired, and he could explain. Earlier Tuesday, he had read a transcription of Kobe Bryant's statements that essentially likened Malone's redwood of a comeback attempt to an irksome splinter. Malone was so upset, he worked a stair climbing machine for an hour. "At level 14," he said. "I mean, I was blindsided."