Yesterday, LeBron James made history by passing Michael Jordan in the NBA’s All-Time scoring list. Despite needing 118 more games to overtake him, it was still quite an achievement.
Next up on the All-Time scoring list would be Kobe Bryant. It will surely be a bittersweet moment for Lakers fans if LeBron passes him at Staples Center. As LeBron continues to climb up the scoring ladder, some fans might be shocked to see Karl Malone being the second All-Time in scoring.
Honestly, given how “The Mailman” isn’t the flashiest scorer and that it seems like his only move was the pick and roll play with Stockton (not true), it’s not surprising why some fans aren’t aware that Malone scored 36,928 points in his career.
The big question now is “how did Malone do it?” That’s a pretty simple question. He was a extremely consistent scored and an insanely durable player.
As if said earlier, nothing in Malone’s game is flashy. Lucky for him, you don’t extra points having much flair. In his nineteen-year career, Malone did what he does best by scoring in the paint and pulling up for the mid-range jumper.
Talking about his offensive consistency, Malone only averaged less than 25 points six times in his career. Moreover, he had an underrated five-year peak where he averaged 28.2 points from ages 25-30.
Even when he got older, Malone was still a consistent scorer. In fact when he was aged 35-40, Malone still averaged 22 points per game or 23 if you don’t count that last year with the Lakers.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Malone’s career is his insane durability. He won’t have as many points if he wasn’t healthy throughout his career.
If you don’t count that year with the Lakers where he only played 42 games, Malone was the picture of durability. In his first 18 years in the league, Malone only missed a combined 10 games. He played 82 games ten times, 81 games five times, 49 games once (50 game season), and 80 games twice.
Malone’s durability and scoring consistency have been pretty amazing in his career. And the next time someone asks how he scored 36,928 points, that should be your answer.
