Mailman will deliver his news on Sunday

SALT LAKE CITY – There will be no NBA career scoring record or championship ring for Karl Malone.

The Mailman is retiring, having come up short in his quest for both goals during his 19-year career.

The 41-year-old Malone will announce his retirement Sunday, the Utah Jazz said Friday, deciding against making one more run at an NBA title. He will hold a news conference Sunday at the Delta Center, the arena where his 1997 and 1999 league Most Valuable Player awards are celebrated with signs below the upper deck.

Soon, a giant No. 32 Malone jersey will hang above the court.

“Even though he never won a championship, he had an outstanding career,” said Jerry Sloan, Malone’s coach for 15 seasons in Utah. “He played a lot of times when he shouldn’t have. He did whatever he could to try to win, and I think that kind of thing is overlooked a lot these days in the game of basketball.”

Malone’s agent, Dwight Manley, said Malone was “very serious” about returning to action with the San Antonio Spurs before he decided to retire.

Jazz owner Larry Miller said he spoke to Malone on Thursday and left it up to Malone on when he wanted to hold his retirement news conference.

Malone has scored 36,928 points, just 1,459 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record.

Malone spent all but one of his 19 seasons with the Jazz, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent before last season. He made the move so he could make one more run at the ring that eluded him in trips to the NBA Finals in 1997 and ‘98.

Malone made it to the finals with the Lakers, but came up empty. Detroit beat Los Angeles in five games.

Malone teamed with guard John Stockton for 18 seasons with Utah to form one of the NBA’s greatest duos, leading the Jazz to the finals twice but losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls each time.

Malone will end his career with the same number of seasons as Stockton, the NBA’s career leader in assists and steals who retired in 2003 after 19 seasons, all with the Jazz.

Malone joined the Lakers at a greatly reduced salary before last season in an attempt to win a title by playing with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He missed 39 games during the regular season (injured knee), and was hurt again during the playoffs.

Malone opted out of his $1.65 million contract following last season, making him a free agent. He and his family live in Newport Beach, Calif., and have a home in Salt Lake City.