There have been several Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers whose careers would be viewed much differently if they had won a championship or two during their playing days. Some of those greats did not have enough talent around them, others saw their play drop in the postseason and others simply peaked during the 1990’s — when Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls dominated the league.
During a recent episode of the “Road Trippin” podcast, Kendrick Perkins mentioned the latter as the reason he believes Charles Barkley — who he listed as the greatest player to never win a championship — was unable to get the job done. Richard Jefferson disputed his ranking, claiming that professionalism is the reason Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone is greatest player without a ring.
“The reason why I would pick Karl Malone over Charles is because the level of professionalism that Karl Malone always approached,” Richard Jefferson stated Monday. “With Charles, when he was in Philly, he was in and out of shape. Some of his off-the-court partying that we knew about and throwing guys — I’m saying Charles was a rebel. He’s not a role model so I’m not taking shots at him.”
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“When you look at a guy like Karl Malone who trained for eight hours a day,” Jefferson continued. “He played for 19 years. He was second in scoring and if his body would’ve held up, he probably would’ve been the all-time leading scorer. So, when I look at the best player to not win a championship, I’m going to put Karl Malone as No. 1 just because his professional approach was trying to maximize every bit of his talent for a lot of years. That’s why his longevity was greater. That’s why his health was greater. That’s why his consistency was greater.”
Jefferson’s comments will certainly draw plenty of pushback due to the fact that at the age of 20 during his time at Louisiana Tech, Malone impregnated then-12-year-old Gloria Bell, fathering a child — former NFL offensive tackle Demetress Bell. While the NBA has continued to celebrate the Hall of Famer’s legacy, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama — who many consider to be the future face of the league — made headlines for his reaction to the league wishing Malone a happy birthday.
Although some may note that the incident took place before he reached the league and he did not have any unprofessional incidents during his NBA career, most people wouldn’t use the word professionalism to describe the Jazz legend. Malone was certainly among the NBA’s top talents — and might even be the most talented player to never win a championship — however, his off-the-court transgressions leave him with one of the league’s most complicated legacies.
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