For obvious reasons, Michael Jordan is often mentioned by NBA legends as one of the best or toughest players they ever had to deal with. However, that was never the case for Utah Jazz great Karl Malone .
In fact, "The Mailman" had to correct an interviewer who assumed he considered MJ one of the best players he has ever faced in his NBA career.
"Well, you say MJ is the best player you have ever seen. I didn't say that," Malone told Adam Fisher of Bleacher Report in 2010. "I don't consider him the best player I've ever seen."
Malone on the best player he played with and aginst
Some may think the Jazz legend is still salty about losing to Jordan in the Finals twice back in the '90s. Still, "The Mailman" seems to have unique criteria for picking his GOAT and the best players he has ever played with. Unlike others, Malone prefers the old school as he believes the GOAT is a toss-up between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell .
As for the best players he ever had to face, Malone named Buck Williams and Maurice Lucas. For him, both players left a lasting impression on him because of their physical style of play and ability to dominate their matchups.
"It's debatable that it could be Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell," the 14-time All-Star said. "The best teammate/player I ever played with was John Stockton."
"The players I looked forward to playing against the most was Buck Williams and Maurice Lucas," he revealed. "They were the PF of that era, and I was just coming into that era. To be able to play against those guys, learning some stuff from those guys as a rookie meant a lot."
Related: "I'm hunting for little Mexican girls" - Kobe Bryant's reaction to Karl Malone making a pass at his wife in 2004
MJ was not on Karl's all-time starting five
Malone also once named his all-time starting five , and unsurprisingly, Jordan was also not included in it. As expected, "The Mailman" picked mostly old-timers, and the only modern NBA superstar he mentioned was LeBron James.
"I got to have Wilt Chamberlain at center, got to have John Stockton as my point guard, got to have LeBron James. I'm going to put LeBron James at my power forward position. He could be a tough matchup…Now, I got to put Oscar Robertson at my two-guard. My other guy… I'mma shock the world. I have to put Scottie Pippen as the three. Let me tell you why. Scottie Pippen led the team in every statistical category when he was there without Michael Jordan," Malone once said on The Dan Patrick Show.
Every NBA legend is entitled to name his own GOAT of choice and all-time list, and nobody has the right to question it. That said, perhaps we'll never know whether or not Malone intentionally snubbed Jordan on his all-time picks.
Related: “That's not the Stock I play with every night in Utah" - Karl Malone grew worried witnessing John Stockton's struggles on the Dream Team
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