Malone immortalized in Utah

The celebration began outside the arena before the game with the unveiling of a bronze statue immortalizing the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer. It is situated adjacent to one of former teammate John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time assists leader.

Malone had his number officially retired in a ceremony attended by Stockton, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, and NBA commissioner David Stern.

"We are thrilled to announce that we will be retiring the jersey of one of our heroes, Karl Malone, to hang in the rafters forever among those whom we have already enshrined," Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said. "In addition to his excellence on the court, Karl and his wife Kay also made great contributions to this community with their time and financial commitments to many worthy organizations."

Malone, 42, retired on February 13, 2005. He averaged 25.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in 1,434 games during his career for the Jazz. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003-04 and played one year with the club, appearing in 42 games.