EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Although a televised interview left the impression he is ready to retire, Karl Malone said he has made no decisions concerning his basketball future and won't until the Lakers' season is over.
"I said my decision is going to be a personal decision and not professional. Sometimes, you're going through tough times," Malone said, and he doesn't want the emotions of a single day or week to hold too much sway. "I want to take some time away from it, I don't want to base my decision on a win or a loss."
The emotions were strong, however, when Malone sat down with ABC's
Ahmad Rashad last week for an interview broadcast during Sunday's playoff game against San Antonio. Malone fought back tears as he discussed the loss of his mother, who died last summer.
He has often said this season, which also included the first serious injury of his career, has been his toughest, and he implied strongly that it could be his last.
"Everyone always says that you'll know . . . when you're ready to retire. I don't know if I'll be that one," Malone told Rashad. "There's no doubt I can still play. But from a personal standpoint, I don't know if I'm willing to go through another year . . . And unless something drastic changes this summer, I don't think I can be that."
Malone, who turns 41 in July, is under contract for next season but has the option to become a free agent. He speaks often about wanting to spend more time with family, which could lead him to skip this summer's Olympics and ultimately to walk away from basketball.
But Malone insists those decision are yet to be made and said, "I think it'd be a wrong impression" to conclude he will retire based on his comments to Rashad.