“It offended me and kind of ticked me off” – Karl Malone was furious with his Jazz teammates after their 1997 Finals run

The Utah Jazz had just come off their best season yet. Karl Malone won his first MVP, and the team reached the Finals for the first time in franchise history. With most of the core intact and another deep playoff run expected, Utah should enter the 1997-98 season with all smiles.

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The opposite happened. The Mailman had a few things in mind, and he wasn’t exactly keeping them to himself. Despite everything the Jazz had accomplished, things happening around the team left their perennial All-Star pissed off heading into the new season.

Malone singled out Ostertag

One reason the Jazz ultimately broke through in the NBA Finals was that they addressed their personnel problems. Utah had one of the more underrated center rotations in the Association. Greg Ostertag secured the permanent starting job in his second season, while Greg Foster and Antoine Carr offered different things on the table for certain matchups.

The Big O’s presence bolstered the Jazz’s interior presence. He started all 20 postseason games in 1997, averaging 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 23 minutes. Ostertag was just 23 at the time, so after a fine showing, Utah wanted to lock up its center of the future.

Both camps reached a deal for an extension worth $39 million over six years, a far cry from his rookie-scale salary of about 500 to 600,000 dollars.

But while every teammate of his was happy he secured the bag, it also came with a responsibility. Malone, essentially a sucker for offseason training, expected his center to hit the ground running in conditioning. Unfortunately, Ostertag was a big letdown.

“We have guys on a team that came a point or two from the championship that didn’t come back in shape,” said Malone with disgust. “I’m disappointed about that since we (Malone and Stockton) came back in the best shape of our lives . . . . I’m going to make it known to them that I’m (ticked) off.”

The 34-year-old Malone had plenty of names for his teammates who arrived in training camp out of shape. He called them adjectives across the spectrum, from “unprofessional” to “disgrace” and “lard a-s.”

Moreover, Malone didn’t appreciate hearing his teammates talk about his retirement and how some of them plan to take over his spot once that happens.

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“It offended me and kind of (ticked) me off,” he said. “A lot of guys want to be ‘the man’ on this team . . . . Do it now while I’m playing. Don’t wait until I retire. That’s a cop out… I’m ticked off right now, but I’m happy.”

The Jazz management changing the training camp venue in Boise, Idaho, didn’t help either. They usually held it in St. George, Utah, but team owner Larry H. Miller wanted publicity in the area where he bought eight auto dealerships.

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Malone was a complainer at heart

As great as he was, The Mailman had a prominent and well-documented reputation as a constant whiner and complainer, on and off the court. He was one of the most physically imposing and unbelievably durable players of all time, but voicing his displeasure became a part of his persona.

“Karl Malone definitely had a football body, but he is another guy always complaining about fouls, and he was bigger than the other guys. I liked guys that wanted to draw the contact and loved it,” Pro Football Hall of Famer, Warren Moon said.

He also threatened to boycott the All-Star Game when the voting didn’t go his way. Malone also engaged in verbal battles with the Jazz management, including Larry, and his son, Greg Miller. Needless to say, it wouldn’t be “King Karl” if he weren’t airing any form of grievance to the media.

What’s interesting was the timing, though. The Jazz was coming off their best season, and Malone had just won his first MVP. Most players would have been content to chill and let things go. Unfortunately for Utah, Malone wasn’t most players.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 9:33 AM.