There is no question that there was a time when NBA basketball was highly physical. Hard fouls were meted out, and sometimes, the intention to hurt a player purposely could not be ruled out.
Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz had his share of hard fouls in his prime. However, ‘The Mailman’ knows the fine line between a foul and intent to stop or hurt him. One such instance happened in December 2001 when the Jazz were playing the New Jersey Nets.
Dubious K-Mart foul
Malone was driving to the basket on a fastbreak in the fourth quarter but was inadvertently clotheslined by Kenyon Martin . The foul resulted in the two-time NBA MVP falling face-first on the floor. K-Mart was assessed a flagrant foul for his actions. He also drew a $7,500 fine and was suspended for one game.
Although Karl admitted that they played a physical game, a line was drawn. Preferring not to delve into it further, the 14-time All-Star left the incident to the league’s handling.
“We play a physical game, but some things don’t have a place,” Malone said via UPI . “I don’t have anything to say about it. It will be interesting to see what happens,”