When Karl Malone passed Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA's second all-time leading scorer Tuesday night it signified more than a historic achievement.
The Utah Jazz' 6-foot-9 power forward is hardly just a scoring machine. He's the embodiment of the best the NBA has to offer — a hard worker who never takes his skills for granted. What Malone accomplished is a tribute to the old-fashioned virtues of hard work and determination.
Because of his incredible work ethic, Malone is still one of the best players in the game, despite being 37 years old. Most players that age are considerably less effective than they were in their younger years, but not Malone.
Malone scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the 98-84 victory over Toronto, putting his career point total at 31,443. Chamberlain had 31,419. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is ahead of the Mailman with 38,387 points. With Malone's dedication and his ability to avoid injuries, Abdul-Jabbar's record is not out of reach.
The most impressive thing about Malone's various records is how he has motivated himself to succeed. An NBA scout once noted that Malone would never make it as a pro player because he lacked skills and discipline. As everyone now knows, Malone works endlessly in each off-season to hone his skills and turn weaknesses into strengths. When he first came into the league 16 years ago, his free-throw percentage was dismal and his outside shot was suspect. Those now are two of the stronger parts of his game.
Malone is connected to the era that gave the NBA some of its greatest stars — Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Malone's own teammate of considerable accomplishments, John Stockton. They all were more concerned about helping their teams win than personal statistics, which is what made them so great.
Too many of today's stars view the NBA as a way to personally showcase their individual skills. They are as much entertainers as basketball players and put self over team.
That will never be the case with Karl Malone, who already is considered one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Tuesday night was another validation of that honor.