Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
In essence, Karl did retire with the Jazz. He stuck through many "mini-rebuilding" phases when the Jazz worked in new centers, guards or small forwards. It was with the blessing of Miller and Sloan that he left to play 1-2 years to pursue a championship and the scoring record, as it was very clear the next rebuilding phase would take more years than he and Stockton had left.Never said anything like "I want to retire here"
Durant and Rose make comments like that all the time.
So did Karl Malone. Take those comments for what they are worth. Less than a roll of TP.
Karl was the one who screwed up his opportunity with the Lakers by making a play for Kobe's wife. Had it not been for that - and probably the resulting backlash from his own wife and family - I'll bet Malone would have played 2-3 more years with LA and gotten 1-2 rings and retired with the career scoring record.