“Boom! I lay him out” – NBA star Kenyon Martin recreated Mike Tyson – Muhammad Ali moment for Isiah Thomas against Karl Malone 

Kenyon Martin was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft.

“Boom! I lay him out” – NBA star Kenyon Martin recreated Mike Tyson – Muhammad Ali moment for Isiah Thomas against Karl Malone 

Martin Kenyon and Isaiah Thomas (Left) with Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson (Right) (via Open Source/Pinterest and Talksports)

In a recent conversation with Matt Barnes on the podcast “All the Smoke,” Kenyon Lee Martin Sr., the former American professional basketball player who dedicated 15 seasons to the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a power forward, unveiled a revelation. He shed light on an incident involving him and the former player, Karl Malone.

Nicknamed “the Mailman,” Karl Malone, regarded as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, was also notorious for his physical play. During a game in 1991, while representing the Utah Jazz against the Detroit Pistons, Malone delivered a forceful elbow to Isiah Thomas’ left eye, resulting in Thomas needing several stitches.

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Kenyon, present at the scene when this incident unfolded, shared his perspective on the episode. Reflecting on the situation, he said:

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Ya’ll remembered when Karl Malone elbowed Isiah Thomas and split him open? Remember that? Isiah was leaking, right? This was way before I was ever in the league, and I never thought I was going to be in the NBA to begin with. But I remember he had him leaking right? We playing Utah, we in Jersey. The great John Stockton dropped that thing to him. I went right inside to Karl Malone and boom, lay him out, and he didn’t get up. I do nothing. I was like, ‘Aww, this m***********r soft right here.’

Martin, fueled by a sense of retribution for Isiah Thomas, went on to retaliate, revealing a time in the NBA marked by intense physicality. Of course, it happened years after Malone had initially hit Thomas.

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Karl Malone not going to let anyone question his MVP status

Criticism swirled around Karl Malone for his performance in the 1997 NBA Finals, where his Utah Jazz confronted a Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan. Former NBC reporter Peter Vecsey questioned Malone’s output, contending that he wasn’t performing at the MVP level he was expected to.

Karl Malone
Karl Malone (Credits: ESPN)

Malone responded:

No, I don't feel that at all. I've had a hell of a year, and I'm not going to let anybody second-guess that because when you start doing that, you might as well quit.

Regarded as one of the NBA’s premier power forwards, Malone earned the moniker “the Mailman” for his unwavering consistency. His accolades include two regular-season MVP Awards, eleven NBA First Team nominations, and three selections to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In 2022, as a tribute to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary.

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