The Utah Jazz Continue To Not Get Any Respect by Greg Foster

Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA former players Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone after the 2014 NBA All Star dunk contestat Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A popular exercise among hoops fans is to try and rank the greatest players ever to grace the hardwood. After all, all-time starting fives, positional top ten lists and the like always make for great debate and water cooler chatter. In a move that surprised many, Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone was recently named in the all-time five list of an NBA icon.

In an interview with the New Orleans Times Picayune, four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal was asked which players he thought were the five greatest in the history of the game. The Mailman, one of O’Neal’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammates, surprisingly made the cut—

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/646376778332639232

Shaq’s list and the reason behind his choices as told to the Times Picayune–

”Bill Russell won 11 championships. Charles Barkley is my guy, but I like Karl Malone. Then there’s the guy who made me who I am–Dr. J. I’ve got Michael at the two. Then, I’m going to go with the big guard with Magic Johnson at the one. But I see a problem with answering these questions. A lot of people get their feelings hurt. Then some of you guys be trying to start trouble, like Shaq leaving Kobe off. Then it’s Shaq and Kobe. But that’s my top five for playing reasons and what they did. Russell doesn’t have high numbers, but with 11 championships nobody is beating that.”

Regardless of what you think of the former Laker as a Jazz fan, you have to give it up for the respect he’s showing to Malone by putting him on this list.

Whether it’s a case of recency bias, the fact that Malone played for the small-market Jazz or the “ringz” argument, a growing number of hoops pundits pass the Mailman over for the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and others when discussing the best power forwards ever to play the game.

Apparently scoring more career points than anyone not named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, grabbing the sixth most rebounds and 10th most steals ever, winning multiple MVPs and Olympic gold medals and being named to 14 All-Star teams doesn’t warrant that kind of consideration.

Now, I hear what you’re saying–Jazz fans, particularly in Utah, are an overly sensitive bunch. Any time we detect a slight to our state, the team or its players, we will defend the honor of Jazz Nation as if a personal attack has been launched on our own family.

While that may be true, the devaluing of Malone’s incredible career unquestionably remains a slight of the highest order. Thankfully, there are people out there that know basketball, that are legends of the sport–people like Shaq–that understand what the Mailman truly meant to the game.

He may have played for the Lakers, is definitely challenging Sir Charles for the ugliest golf swing on the planet and also starred in Kazaam, but as a Jazz fan, I can’t help but respect the man for his views on our Hall of Fame letter carrier.

Whether or not Malone belongs on an NBA all-time top five list is a matter for debate. But is the idea that O’Neal considers him worthy really that outlandish?

Not by a long shot.