Whether friend or foe, everyone applauded Karl Malone for his historic achievement Tuesday night at the Delta Center.
In the second quarter of the Utah Jazz's 98-84 victory over the Toronto Raptors, Malone scored on a scoop shot in the lane to pass Wilt Chamberlain and move into the No. 2 spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
"I think everyone was really touched when it happened," said Jazz teammate John Stockton, who — naturally — got the assist on the historic basket. "I was excited for him. We all feel a part of it."
Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens, who coached Malone in two Olympics, said the Mailman is more than worthy of recognition.
"It's a great accomplishment," Wilkens said. "Karl's a great player. He works really hard and has worked hard to make himself a great player. Certainly he deserves all the accolades he can get. I'm happy I've had the opportunity to work with him a couple of times. He's a credit to the game."
Wilkens said those who make it big in the NBA add something to their game every year — and that attitude defines Malone.
"There are some people who thought he wasn't going to last in this league, but some of us did," Wilkens said
Keep in mind, Wilkens offered all this praise despite having just come out on the wrong end of a disappointing defeat, considering his shorthanded team hung with the Jazz for three quarters before succumbing in the final period.
And, in that fourth quarter, it was Malone's 10 points that led the way for the Jazz. On a night when his career was squarely in the spotlight, it was only fair that no one steal his thunder.
Malone's teammates understood that, on this night, even a win was bound to take second billing to yet another milestone.
"He accomplished something that probably no one else ever will," Jazz forward Bryon Russell said. "That's good for him, and it's good for the game."
Stockton, who also has his share of career milestones, said his longtime running-mate seemed especially pleased by this one.
"Karl has a tremendous amount of respect for Wilt Chamberlain," Stockton said. "Just to be associated with Wilt is a great honor."
When it was suggested that Jazz fans might sometimes take Malone for granted, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "I don't think we take him for granted, but maybe we don't talk about him enough."
Asked what he said to Malone on this special occasion, Sloan said, "Nothing. I see Karl Malone every day. . . . He knows how I feel about him."
The natural question for Malone's teammates was whether they thought he might hang on long enough to score 8,000 more points and pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league's No. 1 all-time scorer.
Nobody ruled it out.
"That's up to him," guard John Starks said. "Physically, no doubt. He's one of the best-conditioned big men I've ever seen."
"He has a chance," Stockton said. "But even if he doesn't, it's a marvelous record."
It was Stockton, of course, who, immediately after the milestone basket and brief celebration, tried to get everyone back on track. "I told (Malone), 'Good job. Let's play.' "
After the game, Malone's teammates tried to stay equally focused.
"He's done with it," Russell said. "It's behind him. You guys can rest now. He's going to celebrate another day. Right now we've got a lot of basketball to play."
And Malone couldn't agree more.
E-mail: rich@desnews.com