We Reminisce: Karl Malone’s Most Incredible Game Ever

It’s the recent and litereally age-old topic that’s dominated, at least for me, the NBA summer stories: How did the the summer of 2012 become such a gold mine for older players? Now that we’re left to track the free agency workouts of Josh Harrellson, July’s blitz can seem so long ago, I realize. But take a long, eight-week look back at some of the biggest winners of free agency: Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups, Marcus Camby, Kevin Garnett, Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Jason Terry all scored deals, and of the bunch, only Billups’ is for one-year. Is modern medicine that much better since Karl Malone‘s rookie year in 1985, when five players were 35 or older, to last season, when there were 29?

And why Malone? Thinking about the surge in older players reminded me of one of the most remarkable feats in NBA history, courtesy of the Mailman during his year in Los Angeles. In 2003 he had 10 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds against San Antonio on Nov. 28. While he chased a title with the Lakers and Gary Payton, Malone happened to turn up the oldest triple-double in NBA history.

The marvel of Malone’s triple-double against the Spurs is twofold: Not only was he 40, but he did it in just 26 minutes. To put it on context, basketball-reference.com’s stat engine spit out that 1,141 triple-doubles happened in the playoffs or regular season from 1985 through 2012.  Malone did it in the fewest minutes while being the oldest. It should be considered, without any jest, one of the most underrated performances in NBA history.

(The game’s recap isn’t just noteworthy for Malone, either. For some laughs, it’s a reminder of the revolving door of complementary players who surrounded Kobe and Shaq. Here’s Bryant grouping Devean George into a class of four Hall of Famers: “I mean, it’s not only myself, Karl, Gary and Shaquille. It’s also Devean George, because he’s featured in our offense.”)

This niche record might not stand for long. Kidd, the best triple-double collector since Oscar Robertson, turns 40 on March 23. To beat Malone’s record of 40 years, 127 days, he would have to wait until opening night of 2013 at the earliest. Presumably, he’ll have a shot — his deal with the Knicks in July is for three years.

Could Jason Kidd break this record?

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