Karl Malone was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night. We got to see a different side of the Mailman, who delivered an emotional speech.
Dressed in a custom fit tuxedo (a far cry from the Hall of Fame sport coat they gave him in the morning that was way too small!) Malone looked awesome. He is still in great shape and could probably still play in the NBA at a very high level. He said he didn't want to speak long or cry, but he did both. The crying part was understandable, since his induction came 7 years to the day that his mother passed away.
Karl spoke from the heart when he talked about his mom being his hero. He also thanked Larry Miller for believing in him and giving him a chance. His talk was good, and was very touching. He belongs in the Hall.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson spoke on behalf of the Dream Team, which included Malone and John Stockton. Bird was very funny, getting in one final dig to the 1960 USA Olympic team. There had been plenty of trash talk all week about which team was the greatest of all time, and Bird got in the last word when he said the 1960 team was tougher, because they had to ride in covered wagons for 8 days, swim across the Atlanic Ocean for 6 days, then walk to the Coliseum in Rome to play, all for a dollar a day!
All in all it was a good night, and a well deserved honor for Malone, the greatest power forward in NBA history.
