Michael & Karl Malone: NBA Legend Cigar Conversation

Summary

The Michael Knowles Show: Michael & Karl Malone – NBA Legend Cigar Conversation

Release Date: November 23, 2024

In this engaging episode of The Michael Knowles Show, host Michael Knowles sits down with NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone to delve into the world of cigars, personal heritage, and life's philosophies. Stripping away the usual political discourse, the conversation offers listeners an intimate look into Malone's life, his passion for cigars, and the values that have shaped his journey both on and off the basketball court.

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1. Introduction to Mayflower Karl Malone Cigar Pack

The episode kicks off with an introduction to the exclusive Mayflower Karl Malone cigar pack, a joint venture between Karl Malone and La Aurora. Karl emphasizes the importance of age restrictions and personal choice regarding cigar smoking:

[00:56] Karl Malone: "We do not encourage anybody to smoke cigars. If you like them, you like them, if you don't, you don't."

2. Cigars as a Symbol of Connection and Heritage

Karl Malone shares his perspective on cigars being a great equalizer, fostering genuine connections regardless of one's background:

[01:28] Karl Malone: "A cigar to me is an icebreaker. It really doesn't matter what your bank account says. No matter what car you're driving, what house you live in."

He recounts his first experience with cigars at 25 years old, striving to embody the "cool captain" persona:

[05:07] Karl Malone: "My first cigar ever. I was 25 years old and I wanted to be the coolest captain on the team... I lit this cigar up, and I acted like I had done it forever."

3. Deep Dive into Cigar Craftsmanship

The conversation transitions to the intricacies of cigar making. Karl highlights the meticulous process and the collaboration between various craftsmen:

[16:13] Karl Malone: "There are 300 hands that touch a cigar. You've got the guy who's growing and watering it, the harvester, the fermenter, the cutter, the roller... all contributing to this handmade luxury."

Karl also introduces the Mayflower line, detailing the unique blends and flavors:

[18:59] Karl Malone: "The Mayflower Dusk is an Ecuador Habano wrapper with a Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler. For the dawn, it's an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Nicaraguan filler. It's got a hint of pepper and more strength."

4. Land Development and Personal Philosophy

Shifting gears, Karl discusses his passion for land development and hunting, tying it back to his family heritage and personal values:

[07:03] Karl Malone: "When we moved back home, the family had a truck. We moved back home 20, almost 21, 22 years ago. Legends started off about that size, and I was just going to do it for the boys, but then my wife and daughter got in it."

He emphasizes stewardship of the land, inspired by his grandfather's teachings:

[13:20] Karl Malone: "When you become successful, be willing to defend and lose your life for it. Become a steward of the land. We have been blessed and fortunate enough."

5. Legacy, Family, and Overcoming Adversity

Karl delves into his personal journey, reflecting on the influence of his mother and grandfather in shaping his resilience and drive:

[25:15] Karl Malone: "My grandfather said, 'When you grow up to be successful, you only do things first class. If you cannot afford it, you save your money.' That's your legacy. That is your DNA."

He shares poignant anecdotes about his upbringing, the challenges he faced, and the unwavering support from his mother:

[25:17] Karl Malone: "I was a loner, a mama's boy. My dad committed suicide when I was five years old. My mom worked hard to support eight kids as a single parent."

6. Philosophies on Success and Self-Preservation

The dialogue touches upon nuanced philosophies of self-preservation and altruism, contrasting natural instincts with the desire to uplift others:

[29:06] Karl Malone: "When a person thinks about everyone else in the room except themselves, that person will always be taken care of."

He intertwines these thoughts with reflections on legacy and the impact one leaves behind:

[42:13] Karl Malone: "The simplicity of life is what we're missing. I've been dying since the day I was born. So, to me, keeping things simple is essential."

7. Artistry in Athletics and Cigars

Both Michael and Karl explore the artistic aspects inherent in both sports and cigar appreciation. Karl likens athletic performance to artistry, highlighting grace and precision:

[50:10] Karl Malone: "When you watch a really incredible athletic show, it's the grace of everything. All the movements going in the right direction, totally meeting the moment... Is that not artistry?"

Similarly, he draws parallels between the craftsmanship of cigars and artistic creation:

[51:30] Karl Malone: "A cigar is a very artistic thing in itself. Even the way you're talking about the land and the creation reminds me of a great quote from Alexander Pope: 'All nature is but art unknown to the trained eye.'"

8. Final Thoughts and Partnership Commitment

As the conversation wraps up, Karl reiterates his commitment to the Mayflower partnership, emphasizing mutual support and shared success:

[54:36] Karl Malone: "Our partnership is going to be amazing. Whatever ride we go on, we'll go on it together."

Michael concludes by promoting the Mayflower cigars, inviting listeners to experience the exclusive blends:

[56:00] Michael Knowles: "Boxes of Mayflower's premium handmade cigars are now back in stock. With limited quantities, now's the time to sample Mayflower signature blends and stock up on your favorites."

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Key Takeaways

• Cigars as Connectors: Karl Malone views cigars as a means to foster genuine connections, transcending socioeconomic barriers.

• Heritage and Stewardship: A deep appreciation for family heritage and a commitment to stewarding the land guide Karl's personal and business endeavors.

• Artistry in All Things: Whether in sports or cigar craftsmanship, Karl emphasizes the artistic elements that require precision, grace, and passion.

• Legacy and Resilience: Overcoming personal adversity with the support of loved ones has instilled in Karl a drive to build a meaningful legacy.

• Mutual Success: The partnership between Michael Knowles and Karl Malone is rooted in shared values and a commitment to mutual growth and success.

This episode offers listeners a blend of personal anecdotes, philosophical insights, and an appreciation for the finer things in life, all anchored by Karl Malone's storied career and grounded values.

Transcript

[Michael Knowles]

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[Carl Malone]

They say cigars are the great equalizer. And they must be because it is the only way to explain how I am sitting down with NBA hall of famer all around legend Carl Malone. Carl, thank you for inviting me to the Legend Cigar Lounge.

Thank you for being here and thank.

You for this joint venture, the Mayflower Karl Malone cigar pack, which is available. You have to be 21 years old or older to order some exclusion supply. Gotta get that out of the way up front.

And you also gotta say we do not encourage anybody to smoke cigars. If you like them, you like them, if you don't, you don't. Yes, go ahead.

I don't discourage them, but it's totally your choice.

There you go.

So I am smoking your cigar. And sir, you are a legend not only in basketball, not only in so many civic endeavors, but also in cigars. This is a great smoke.

Well, touche. No, it's. We have a partnership with La Roar.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And we created our cigar. So we're excited to be partnered with you guys. You know, Ecuadorian wrapper filler and Dominican binder, but it's got a hint of pepper in it.

Yeah.

And I like that no matter what during the day. That's my go to and love smoking your stick. So I was asking you the question earlier, Michael. How did this happen? And I'm just going to enjoy the moment and say, hell, it doesn't happen. So we're excited. So I'm excited the way it.

I mean, I'm half joking about cigars as the equalizer, but I'm half not because you said something to me that instantly struck me as true, which is people, they'll smoke a cigar because it's their wedding or they'll smoke a cigar, I just graduated college or something. But you said no when you were smoking the cigar. That's the happening.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Carl Malone]

Well, my thing is a cigar to me is icebreaker. Yeah, it really don't matter. What your bank account say. Yep. No matter what car you're driving, what house you live in. And when you look at legends where we're at right now, this is family owned. And you notice we don't have a lot of TVs. No TVs. Because to me, when I come and smoke with a person, I want to get to know that person. And it really don't matter where you're from and the people you meet. If you just willing to turn that TV off. Put that phone down.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

How do we know Michael, who's sitting beside us right now? To me, cigar is like you've been knowing that person.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Carl Malone]

For a while.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Carl Malone]

And we're just meeting.

[Unknown]

Yep.

[Carl Malone]

You know, I'm not a politician, Michael. Not either. So we just call it like it is a cigar. Just like we've been knowing each other.

So yeah, that is it. I find when I travel around, I give a speech or wherever I'm going, the first thing I look up is not the hotel, it's not the restaurant, it's the cigar lounge. Where is. Because I know I walk into the cigar lounge, even. It's not like everyone agrees politically or even. But if I see a guy smoking a cigar, I think there is someone instantly I can talk to. There is someone. We're going to have really something in common. I know what kind of person this is. This gonna be my kind of person, you know, it's one of the best rules of thumb I think I find.

In terms of socializing and what I found also. Have you ever seen anyone pissed off in a lounge smoking a cigar? Now, you could have just had a bad deal go south.

Yes.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

But I've never met a person pissed off in a lounge.

Right.

First of all, if that's your mojo, let me go to another room or one of us excuse ourself. Because to me, smoking a cigar.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So I had my first cigar. We jump all over the place and you guys gonna earn your money. You can edit it back. So my first cigar ever. I was 25 years old and I wanted to be the coolest captain on the team, so to speak. And I. So me and the guys went out. So I wanted to act like I knew what I was doing. Well, the cigar that I knew from a little country town up here in Summerfield, 45 minutes north, where I grew up was Monte Cristos.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

[Carl Malone]

So I'm the cool, you know, stock cool too. But I was the cool captain that smoked cigars. So we had a Couple days off. So I smoked when I played, but I had to have two days off. Two to three days off. So there was certain place we would go. We would have those two or three days off. Thanks, Coach Sloan. But I had a Monte Cristo.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Now I had to play the part. Now we was in Miami. I took the guys out. Well, first of all, I did all the things, and I lit this cigar up, and I act like I had done it forever, but my teammates didn't know my first cigar. I was hooked in at 25 Monte Cristo. And that was my cigar. You could not tell me anything else. And that was my cigar. And I've been ever since. So I'm 61 now.

61. That's good genes. You know, that's. And maybe being one of the great.

Athletes, I say it all the time. My ancestors, my mom and my grandfather, I thank them for the genes. Now I gotta keep working.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And I'm on the hunt. I'm on the hunt every day, me and my family, whether it's peace, whether it's just hanging out. That's our mindset.

Well, this is something I noticed. I mean, you say with a cigar, it's how you really. It's begging to know somebody. It's first thing I noticed about you, even before I landed in the airplane. It's not that you're the NBA legend. It's not all this other stuff. The first thing that really hit me before we sat down was where this lounge is. We are not sitting in the middle of Manhattan. We're not in Beverly Hills right now. We're in the middle of Louisiana.

Yes.

I said, what brought Karl Malone, after all his insane international success, what brought Karl Malone to this part of Louisiana? And someone said, this is hometown.

Yes. Well, Michael grew up 45 minutes north, right at 167. Border is 33. We're less than a half a mile off I20.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So when we moved back home, the family had a truck. We moved back home 20. Almost 21, 22 years ago. Of course, Legends is where we're sitting at in Ruston, Louisiana. Well, I went to Louisiana Tech.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Over here.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I grew up there. Mama's boy.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

When we got back, I just started off. Legends started off about that size. And I was just going to do it for the boys, but then all of a sudden, my wife and daughter got in it. They. I love hunting.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And then my son's down here. We're in the timber business.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So this burnt wood didn't come from our property. So that's the concept. And if you look in the bathroom, you'll see green tin. Of course, it's hunting season, and I'm a. I'm somewhat of a savage when it come to that. So if you go in the bathroom, you see, like, green. Yeah, that's hunter's green. And that's what my. And my. I was driving my wife and one of my daughters crazy, and they said, dad, we got it. We know what you like, so just let them go. And you'll see mountain here. Because my whole family, we hunt. I grew up 4 years old hunting with my grandfather.

Wow.

So this lounge is who we are. And we got to thinking about names and everything. We just thought about legends and we added the cigar to it.

But a lot of people, you know, they grow up, they have interests. You obviously have a lot of varied interests. All sorts of different businesses, even beyond, you know, your global fame as an athlete. But then a lot of people, they just forget about home. They just kind of, you know, they go on, they have that success, and then they move to the. The penthouse and wherever. But you came back.

So the next time you come, Michael, because I have a feeling that we're going to be doing this more and more. We're going to spend a day out in the wilderness doing the things I do. So I run heavy equipment every day. Yeah, Caterpillar equipment. So I'm an artist. I'm an artist. Okay. Our canvas is our properties. My paintbrush is caterpillar equipment. So that's my therapy every day. So the day I left, I wanted to get back home. I went to Utah. And that's. That's.

I think I read about that. Yeah, I think I heard about that.

Well, that's history. But I'm passionate about Louisiana. I love Louisiana, but I'm passionate about north Louisiana. So I'm big into heritage and roots and DNA. That's just my little brain. So moving back home, I feel grounded.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Albert Einstein. Not quoted per word. For a man to know his true purpose on this earth, he must stay in touch with mother earth. Not just walking, touching the soil. I feel alive here. I love cities and Utah. Have did things for my family that I'm forever grateful. But I want to come home because I feel so connected here. And tobacco, when you look at it, it come from the earth. And so it's so many different things. So next time you guys come, we're going to spend a day. Heavy equipment, different things like that. Because to know a person, you have to accept that person for who they are and what it's about. So my first thing is I want to know about you if we want to spend an hour together. I'm not in a hurry.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So you know my ways when I take my shoes off.

Yeah, yeah.

And to me, like moving back home, just that icing on the cake for me. And now to be able to do things and see my family doing the things they do. But it all started with this little kid in North Louisiana with his grandfather, Leonard Jackson.

What you're describing is actually my thought behind Mayflower Cigars because I thought, you know, look, I come from the new media world, digital media world. Everything I do is online. It's all, it's kind of disconnected from tangible stuff. But I like the real world. I think it's important that we're incarnate creatures. You know, I like spending time with people. I want to be in the cigar lounge. I want to be talking to people. And that's what I love about the cigar is the cigar is not digital. The cigar is a real thing. It's going to, in a way, it's kind of like a clock. You know, you can measure time as the cigar goes down. It's something you have to do with a person. You know, it's ephemeral and you're in a real space and then it's gone. Then you go get another cigar. But I love that. And the Mayflower name comes because though I look fairly Italian, on my father's side of the family, there's some English and they go back to the Mayflower. And I really liked this heritage. My grandfather discovered this in his retirement and I liked that idea of, wow, you can kind of trace back a family's history and it coincides with the history of a country. And then tobacco is the crop that built America in many ways. And tobacco is discovered by the Europeans with Columbus all the way back to Christopher Columbus, 1492, the Taino Indians had cigars. I think they would smoke them up their nose. I haven't tried to do that, but.

One day, if you try it, I try with you. Let's just go with it.

But I love that idea that you, you don't want to be disconnected from roots. I mean, from real roots. When you said you like driving heavy equipment, you're the artist painting on the canvas of the earth. I thought it'd be so funny how many world renowned champion athletes, like, at your level. There aren't very many at your level. How many of them wouldn't just hire a guy to go clear property. I mean, you're like the only guy that would do that probably.

Well, my grandfather, Leonard Jackson, if you looking at me, you're looking at him if I did that. And he said to me this. When you become successful, if you have a one acre or a thousand acres, and I was five or six years old, he said, be willing to defend and lose your life for it. And it didn't resonate at the time. And he said, become a steward of the land. We have been blessed and fortunate enough. So I made a promise to me that when I turn 60, that I must spend every day on a piece of land, whether it's ours or someone else. And that's my connection. Everybody got whatever. And. But my connection with the land and the equipment is I never change the landscape. On what mother nature do. I just. I add to it or clean it up.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So we're land developers too. We're at the store some project. And whatever that land doing now, the drainage, everything, I don't change it. So this goes back. We are our heritage. We are our DNA.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

That's who we are. Good, bad, indifferent.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

That's what made me. I wouldn't change it now.

Wow.

But the fact of the matter is, when you stay connected with land, it just. It aligns me. So we spend our times in places like that in Utah. I love the mountains. Alaska. I love streams. I love the calmness because I stay calm until I have to go up a knot. But it all come back. You know, people say cotton is what. Say our was built. Our country was built in crop or so.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I put tobacco, sugarcane, cotton in that same area.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Because. And someone worked it. See, this is where I go.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I've been fortunate enough to visit Lower Royal a number of times, Mr. Leon, and the whole team there.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

But I love going out to the fields. The farmer that when that took back, when it's small, he out there watering it.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

To me, the respect you should have for a cigar.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Think about someone other than yourself and the work that go into it.

And not just him. I mean, they say 300 hands touch a cigar.

Yes. Yes.

You got. You've got the guy who's growing and who's watering it. You got the guy who's tending it. You got the guy who harvests it, you got the guy who ferments it, you got the guy who cures it. In some cases, then you got. Even before you get to rolling the cigar, you've got the filler, you got the binder, you got the wrapper, you got to select it, you got the blender, you've got. Think of all these people in this handmade luxury that you can get for call it 15 bucks.

And one thing that's amazing about it is all the hand to touch it. I don't think a lot of people know this just about. I'm not going to say all the time, but what I've witnessed at Lower Roar and I think this is true, people don't. The cap, what they call the ring, just about. More often than not, that final touch is by a female because she have the softest.

[Unknown]

No, no.

[Carl Malone]

Yes.

So you know those. Me, I don't consider myself a cigar connoisseur or master at it. I just say what I like and I'm willing and we are willing to learn those things. So all the little nuances. Yeah, yeah, I noticed that. So I asked a question to Mr. Leon, Mr. Jeremy Leon. I asked him the question and it just. They're softer.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Carl Malone]

So that cap, that's what I tell people all the time.

It's not even just one cap, you know, it's really. It's three caps they put on them.

And then at the. And I tell people if you can just be just at top because if you cut too much, of course you'd ravel. But anyway, you're looking at me like, damn, I wasn't really expecting you.

No, that's really.

No, I'm messing with you.

Seriously, I'm messing with you. There's something really profound about that, you know, I mean there's something really. Yeah, just I don't know the way you're talking about cigars many times that's part of why I wear the velvet jacket, you know, it keeps it. But the way you're talking about cigars, it's the way a lot of cigar guys will talk about, you think. It's in the details, it's in the intricacies, it's in the complexities of it that really distinguish it. So you have a very consistent blend. I mean it's very, very reliable. But no two cigars are going to be exactly the same.

No, no. And what I tell people all the time, whatever's cigar you like, dare to try another one. I know we all have our go to.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And of course now our House Sticks Barrel Aged by Carl Malone. Of course. That's. That's the main one then the Mayflower.

Yep, that's right.

By Michael.

That's Right.

Second favorite. You know, so all in all, naturally.

But once you get past those two.

The fact of the matter is I tell people, you know about a cigar. It's a passion of mine.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And when you're passionate about it, you learn about it. People. Some people don't realize a cigar have three stages.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

To it. And they say this now, if you want to just go there now. And Mike will be looking at me now like, damn. So let all of us cigar aficionados, let all of us say something here. Everybody's watching. So let's take a test. Let's show you something here. When you out smoking, like with someone, they're watching how your cigar burned down and they're gonna say either can afford another stick or you're really cheap. So here's what we do. Everyone out there, take your thumb, put your thumb on the end of your cigar and wherever the joint of your thumb at, that should be the top of your label.

[Unknown]

Yep.

[Carl Malone]

And when it's get like that, that's when it's time to finish your cigar. So I was smoking right to the top. Very good. Yeah. He like looking at me like, damn. No, I Katrina over there like, what the hell is going on here?

No. I'm really impressed though perhaps I shouldn't be by even the way you're talking about the way you look at land. Because what you're saying is I don't want to go in and totally do something new. I don't want to. When you say how the water moves and how I want to, I just want to augment it. I want to, in a way you might say, perfect it what's already there. You want to perfect what nature has already given you. And I think about it with a cigar. I'm not going to take a Connecticut shade wrapper and I don't know, some kind of Dominican fellow. Dominican fellow. I'm not trying to take that and make that into the fullest bodied cigar you ever saw. I'm going to use a different wrapper for that. I want to work with the materials I have and then add the artistry to perfect it, to bring it to its full potential. But I want to work against its potential. I want to just set off a bomb on land or something like that.

Well, and the thing about it is, let the wrapper, binder and filler, let that cigar do what it do now. That's what that cigar going to do. Like you just said.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Same with land. Let it do what it going to do. You can't get no more out of it. Try another cigar. Yeah, you know, that's. But it's that passion about it. And that is where our company, PF is going now. We're going to really heavy on the cigar distribution and we're going to carry everyone, of course. Barrel age in the Mayflower.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And this partnership, to me, I want it to grow. And I want to say to you and your team, we'll work out our schedule, but whatever you're doing for us to launch it, we are. And I'm not the person just put my name on it because I don't want to embarrass you one day when they say it. Really. Because having a conversation like this, we get to know each other. So as we go down this road, we're just going to help each other be successful.

Well, so this is then the next thing I want to know. Because you're talking about how, look, you're at peace. You got your legs up, you like, you're taking time with your cigar. You're very in touch with the land. But you mentioned something earlier. You said. And then sometimes if I have to turn it up a little bit, you know, and that's what makes me think about the hunting. You're wearing camo. You've got, you know, a lot of. A lot of animal heads around here. So how does that. That seems like almost the opposite. One is all about relaxation, kind of placid. The other is very aggressive. You're pursuing an animal. How do you flip into that mode?

Well, what I discovered about oneself is I'm result driven. I'm on the hunt and I stay focused on that task. And I like to start it from the beginning to the end. I used to couldn't put it all together, but our brain is a. Is a filing cabinet.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So close that filing cabinet every day. Well, it's the same thing. Me, I can go from zero to mach. I don't like the middle area unless it is rest area.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

But being able to do that, it keep me. It keep me hungry. It keep me on the hunt. Peace. My machines on a piece of property. It could be your piece of property. I am getting so much out of your piece of property that we're walking on and we're having a conversation.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I'm grounded. Every step I take, I'm on the soil.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So is that the cause? It strikes me most people you talk to, they'll have like one interest or two. You know, most people you talk to, especially someone who's succeeded at your level, all they want to talk about is basketball, or all they want to talk about is whatever business they're in. But your interests are so varied, and it seems like you have a very intense focus on all of them. This isn't the sort of thing you're not just saying, you know, La Aurora comes to you, says, hey, we're going to put your name on a cigar and forget about it. You're obviously very. You're smoking the cigar, you're helping blend, you're very focused on. So how do you maintain that kind of intensity even on all these broad interests? Hunting, land development, cigars, obviously basketball.

Well, it's where I'm at. And it's gotta. It's through my eyes, Michael. No one see anything. The same. You see it through your eyes. So where I'm at with my life is my family, my kids, my grandkids. So I'm 61. I got more time in the rearview than I do in the front windshield. So my drive now as high as it ever been. Because you're looking at a kid that only one person believed in me, my mom. I didn't want to play basketball.

Really?

Really. It might shock you, but they got a lot of tape. So I grew up in the country here. Four brothers, four sisters. My dad committed suicide when I was five years old. But no, no, let me say something. I was a loner, but I was a mama's boy. So I was colicky as a little boy. So my mom graded lumber, and at Georgia Pacific, she was green chain. She graded lumber. So when she came home, she was tired. She had four boys, four girls, she had eight kids. Single parent.

Wow.

And I was a baby boy, so I was colicky. I mean, you know, people don't know. I cried a lot.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, I've had some colors.

[Carl Malone]

Well, we had military channel and cartoon, Three Stooges, Western channel. Every time there's one plane would go out on a mission in Vietnam and came back, I wouldn't cry. I would stop crying. If it was a 45 minute mission or hour and 10 minute, I wouldn't cry. Well, when I got older, in the eighth grade, I wanted to know who flew that plane. And it was a Harrier jump jet. Only Marines flew that jet. So I met my recruiter from the eighth grade and only one person told me. And I wanted. We had a little country store and I wanted to become a full bird. I wanted to fly into Barksdale Air Force Base, refuel. I wanted to buzz our mom. Them little country store, we Had a little field across the road, our little farm where we raise our garden. I want to land it there and I want to walk across the field. Only one human told me. I know you would. My mom. So that's what I wanted to be, a pilot. Well, I met my recruiter from the eighth grade to the 11th grade, he said, you gotta be great in math and you can't grow anymore. And I grew three and a half inches one summer. So basketball worked out well. I said it to say this.

There's nothing you can do to stop it. I can't stop growing.

I said to say this. So go back to what drives me now. It's not more. It's honing what we got. It's passing it on. Because that's on my ancestors, that's on my DNA. My grandfather said to me, young man, when you grow up to be successful, you only do things first class. And if you cannot afford it, you save your money. Because when you leave here, that is your legacy. That is your DNA. How you leave it.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Yeah. So me and my wife Kay, we passionate about our kids and grandkids. And now passing on. So my drive now.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I wake up every morning between 3:30 and 4:00. I do my little, my little meditation, make mental notes and I do a little crossword puzzle that's activate my brain. Then I go train. And then I'm on the hunt. But it's not for me, it's on the hunt for my family and leaving them something more than what we had.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And to see that drive that they have now, they keep me hungry, they keep me on the hunt. So that's my focus. So those interests we have. Larry Miller introduced me to a guy named Andy Matson. And we have automotive there, but down here we do land and timber. So my drive is not for me. It's been a steward of the land. And everybody talk about their legacy. I want every day when they walk this land.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

They send it every day.

This is like the. This is like going with the wind, you know, it's about the land. It's Tara, it's about the land. But that actually does make sense of it because even you mentioned the cars. You've been involved in the car business. I mean, you know, you've been.

Oh, no, we are.

You are actively involved in the car business?

Yes, sir.

No, I mean, that's what I mean, you have so many active businesses.

[Unknown]

But.

[Carl Malone]

So you think what unifies all of it? Well, you've just explained it. It's Very grounded, and it's about your family, and it's focused on the future. So then going back the other way on family. What would have happened if you didn't have that one person who believed in you? What would have happened if your mother had just. Look, she would have had a good excuse to not be that focused if she. Eight kids, single mother.

Yeah.

So what would have happened to Karl Malone had that not happened?

Who knows? Like, who knows? I would have been. It would have been. We wouldn't be sitting here, you and I. How. But one person. You just need one to believe in you. And to me, when you're. When you get that one person, that's what matters. Because when you both have the same visions and the thoughts, you're thinking about everybody. See, in our world, the first law of nature is self preservation. But I like to think like this. When a person think about everyone else in the room except themselves. Try it one time. That person will always be taken care of. Think about it. The law averages, but we don't. So to me, take all you need, leave the rest for someone else. So we're not taking it with us. Be teachers. Share, you know, Share from the heart.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Don't share when the cameras are on.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I still feel as we sitting here right now, Mike, I feel this right here. My mom is going to come in and shake me and say, boy, get ready for school. It seemed to me like a dream that I'm living in.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

That's an interesting connection that had not occurred to me about this partnership because my mother was such an influential figure in this cigar business. You know, I mean, she bought me the box of cigars where now the Mayflowers are made at the same factory that that box of cigars came from, some of which are still in my humidor. I had my first cigar, actually, with my mother. It's kind of an odd thing.

Michael, how old are you?

I am 34, and I've still been smoking cigars for most of my life. It's just an amazing. I don't know, you know, how the laws in various jurisdictions work.

It don't really matter.

Yeah.

Yeah. We're just here.

I always say, though, for someone of Italian descent in New York, having your first cigar at 15, you're actually a little old. You know, you're a little. You could start a little younger, you know, and. But I really liked it, and I never liked cigarettes. I never got into any of that. I wasn't like a big. I wouldn't go to like keggers or anything. But I really liked the cigar. I'm not just flattering you in your answers. You give me two or three paths I want to go down, but the one I want to get back to is you said your grandfather said, if you're going to do something, do it first class or don't do it. And it reminds me of advice a buddy of mine gave me in New York. He was working in finance, but he wouldn't spend his money, really. He wouldn't buy new clothes, he wouldn't buy fancy dinners or anything. He would make a lot of money, but he wasn't spending a lot of money. But he might buy a glass of really expensive scotch every now and again, but otherwise he wouldn't really spend his money. And I said, what's that about? He said, it's the barbell strategy. What's the barbell strategy? Barbell strategy is you're either going to get things that are really, really cheap, really, really expensive. But he said, I don't really want things in the middle. And you know, dollars don't always equate to quality. But I think the point on quality is really good. You're either going to really go for something, you know, go for a really seriously well crafted cigar, or don't have a cigar. But please don't give me, please don't give me a crappy cigar. It's not. I don't want cigars that bad, you know, Right. I want it to be either really good or I'll abstain. That's okay. I don't need to be chainsmo. But, and you think about this. In your activities in life, would you have been content being a middle of the pack basketball player? Oh, and it's cool, you got to play. And then.

Michael, some people are built like that. No, no, you blame it on my heritage, my DNA, my grandfather, great grandfather. No, I'm Alpha. Yeah, no, look here, I know for the pack. Now, all due respect to the pack, it take every type to make that pack.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

But no, sir, you're not gonna be in the middle. No, sir. Where I was built, I'm the Alpha. Yeah, like I respect the other Alpha. Now, wherever you squat, wherever you hack and piss now, I ain't going to piss on that spot now. But now when I hike and piss over here, now I'm raking, sir. Respect.

That's your spot.

That's my spot.

That's your spot.

Yes, well, that's how I'm built. But I owe it to the man above and how I was created to get the most out of this body. That's the respect I have for my grandfather and stuff like that. And the respect I have for the team that drafted me, yes, you can call it whatever. In the way I was wired and built, I owed that to the Miller family to give them every single thing I had.

They didn't draft you to be middle of the pack.

No, sir.

No.

Let me tell you how real that got really quick. And Adrian Dentley, hall of Famer, he taught me how to be a professional number one. Now here's when he got real to me. My second year, we have plays. They've started to run some plays for me, which was Adrian Dantley's. And lo and behold, my second year playing, we, we drew the Dallas Mavericks. They had a Lendo Blackman, Mark Aguirre, Sam Perkin, they had that squad. So they was top of the pack. Well, we played a one, lo and behold. Adrian Dently got hurt, he was out for the playoffs. So we drew them first round. Well, they start running all the plays. So we, we played. Of course they beat us in the series, but we made it a hell of a series. Well, I didn't know anything. I used to stay in Dallas and train with a guy named Ken Roberson. He was my classmate here at Louisiana Tech, so he was teaching me how to run. So we would stay right. We was able to work out at smu. So I remember we would go over to the Premier Club, and that's where we do our weight training. And I forget this, we just finished up two and a half, three hours training, finished up with the weights, and I was out. Shoot some ball, shoot some shots. And a guy come out to new kid, he said, hey, tell Carl he might want to come see this. So he said his teammate of his, I was like, what? He said, adrian Dantley. So of course I go in press conference, they had traded Adrian Dantley. Now this is when it got real for me. And I get a phone call from Coach Layton. He said, hey, do you remember the end of the year meeting we had? You know, that's the end of the year meeting. We all come in and they tell each individual what we're working on and all that. He said, do you remember that? I was like, yes, sir. He said, tell me what I said. He said, remember, end of the meeting, I said to you, hey, so being the playoffs, are you ready to carry a franchise? And of course, me being full of little piss and vinegar, lack thereof, I said, of course. Well, lo and Behold, the starter team get traded and it's the off season. I got a phone call. Well, right then I had to make a commitment that if I was going to be what they believed in me and that nobody else did. Yep. And I didn't want to let them down, so.

Because it's one thing to say it in the meeting.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course I'm ready. That's what actors do. Can you ride a horse?

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Can you tap dance? Oh, you bet I can tap dance. But then you have to perform.

Right. And I'm going to say this to you. I'm not afraid to die, but I'm afraid to fail. And when I fail, I've let a lot of people down, and that's on me. So when that happened, I made a commitment that I had to change my body to be able to carry the load. And I did not want to be middle of the pack. I wasn't. I'm sorry. People can take it. No, hell, I'm not sorry. I wasn't put on this earth to be middle of the pack or the back of the pack. So I put everything back to animals. So our family crest, you got on a signet, right? Is the buffalo. Yeah, yeah, that's our family crest. You know our Chris. Well, the buffalo is the only animal on this earth that when a storm brew on the plains, first strike of lightning or the roar of thunder, the man, the leader of the pack, the alpha, he turned. And women, children, all they turn. And 90% of the time or more is the only reason a buffalo stampede, they turn and face the storm. They run into the storm head on, right? That is the alpha, that the leader.

And they're all following him, right?

And here's the rest of that story. Our families, we all go through it, right? But at some point now, dad got to step up and you got to face that. And he go through the storm. So guess what? A buffalo is the only species that only in the storm half the time. Think about that now.

Why is the buffalo running toward the storm? Forgive my ignorance.

Why they face it head on.

Yeah, right.

He's in it half the time. That's why he do it. They turn and he run into dangers coming.

We're going to face it.

And guess what? We have pictures on our phone. Me and my sons is the leader, the alpha, which all of us are in our home or wherever else. He have icicles hanging this long off his beard and he got a head about this size. And he's the first one to come through that storm, right? Looking like that. Now, ask yourself this question. Now, every person that's a man, right? When he come through this storm and I show you this picture, what do you think he's thinking right now? I'll tell you. He's saying right now, whatever son of a bitch wants some of this right.

Now, come and take it.

No, no, no. I'm gonna meet you. Well, when I show you this picture.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

It's going to. Well, that's life. That's us. Families. It's not always roses. You're going to take shots. But guess what? At some point in time, Daddy, you got to turn and face that son. You got to look him in the eyes. That's who I am, and that's how I live.

There was a popular book probably 10, 15 years ago called Antifragile, by Nassim Nicholas Talib, because you think certain things are fragile, they fall off the table, they break. Certain things are durable, they fall off the table. They get a little deformed, but you know, they'll be okay. But he says there's this third category, antifragile, the thing that falls off the table and actually gets stronger. The thing that when you. When you subject it to rigors and trials, it actually comes out tougher, scarier maybe, you know, and that seems to me what you're describing.

And to me, it's like, who are you? We all get tried, but you really don't have to talk about it.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Like, look, okay, so after all the talking. What?

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Why talk? My grandfather. I will never forget this. I played marbles. My grandfather was my height, my size, never lifted weight. He was a mule logger. And this guy, every day. Not every day, once a week, you know, when he had a little moonshine. My grandfather was a moonshine.

A little local recipe.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So I was playing marbles one day with this guy had. Did this. I know a number a couple times. And my grandfather homesteaded a couple acres, so that was his acreage. And this guy kept coming on this property, and I'll never forget it. I was playing marbles, and I heard boom, boom, boom. And it was over with. He was dusting them off. I never forget this because as time went on, I asked him about that, and he said, at some point in time, when a man challenged you on your piece of dirt, it's time. To me, it's too much talking. People just talk to talk.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I'm result driven.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

You know, I'm not going to apologize for that.

And no excuses either.

No excuses. No excuses. Because let me tell you something. When you got your last 500 books, don't bet on sports, don't bet on nothing. None of that. If you got a set of them, you bet on yourself.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And you don't want to fail. Because when a person start that inner competitive nature with oneself and respect that other person, that's when it comes together. But then you become a teacher. Einstein, one of my favorite. I love him because he had their wild hair. To me he was a genius. He was a teacher on his deathbed. To me, he was my hero. I know. We went from a marine pilot flying a Harrier jet to Einstein, what the hell?

How many NBA champs say, you know, my big hero actually is Albert Einstein.

I don't know. I started off with the wild hair and I wanted to know who he was. And then I knew he was the ultimate teacher. See to people, sometime they think not teaching, it's smarts. To me it's not because when you die all of that go. But when you become a teacher and try to teach where people can understand your teaching.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So it's.

Yeah, it's this theme that seems to be running through everything you're doing, which is not just about you. It's not just about building something for yourself, but it's about this kind of legacy. And not even a legacy just from you. You keep talking about actually my grandfather. It's actually my mother. It's actually, it's. It's the legacy running in both directions. That's a beautiful thing.

Well, but those are two people that believed in all my crazy ideas and not one time shot them down. Brothers shot them down, sister shot them down. Friends they didn't. And they say on that other side, you replay this back. So to me, every day is euphoric. To me it's like I can't explain it. But what I like is people now is starting to want to know me, which is so weird to me.

Did they not want to know you before?

No. They looked at as people do. 90% of athletes.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

The real world look at us as just jocks.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[Carl Malone]

And if that's how they think. But you know, athletes to me, you know, everybody want to look at hard time. Athletes went, didn't have this. They is so many success stories out there that people never want to talk about. But it don't seem real to me. Are you kidding me? This little kid, that was a run of the family.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Why did the man above look down and say, that kid.

Yeah, yeah, right.

So to me, when we leave here.

[Unknown]

What?

[Carl Malone]

We leave what? We leave.

The way you put it, too, it's this. It's gonna seem like a paradox for some people because on the one hand you're saying, look, I've got this intense focus, I've got this drive. I'm very obviously very self disciplined. All this. So on the one hand, you get that total. Like, I am harnessing my will and my efforts for this thing. But then the other side of it, you keep coming back to is, yeah, but had my mother not believed in me, probably wouldn't be here. Had, you know, run to the litter. And I don't know, why was it me and not one of my siblings? Why was it me and not some other guy? I don't know. Because God looked down and said, that guy. And that's not through your own effort. But there's this. It's like the cooperation with the circumstances that you found yourself in led you to this very spot on the couch.

And then, Michael, here's the rest of it. Do we ever realize this? The day that we take our first breath and whine, whine, whine, we start to die. Think about that.

Been dying since the day I was born.

So I want to say something to you. You brought up something, and I go back. You use different words, but it's simple. The simplicity of life is what we're missing. So I discovered, even though I'm driven, and I want to be driven the day I die. So the Fly. Anybody know that movie the Fly?

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Okay, now we're going to go somewhere here. When Michael leave here, you're going to be like, God damn. Okay, the Fly. All right, this is where I'm at. People don't realize this. About a year ago, it came to me, the fly, when he opened up his closet. Notice something? Now, he had seven of the same outfits. So I'm gonna tell you why here.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Carl Malone]

Black loafers, black socks, black pants, black underwear, black turtleneck. And the star of that fly, he got the hotel dot com with the aliens coming down. He's one of my favorite. I don't know his name. The significance of that. A fly. Insect only have five to seven days on this earth. A fly.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

So what came to me about a year ago is the reason being he don't have time to worry about what he's going to wear. He have to eat, breathe, die. Yeah, I'm the fly. I don't have time for, oh, I'm smelling the roses. Now, But I'm the fly now. I want to tell. End of this thing. To hand something off. That Picasso, that masterpiece, that artist. So the significance of keeping things simple.

[Unknown]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carl Malone]

That's the thing about this other kind of duality here, which is you are a top athlete and the language you keep using is all this language of artistry, or even in, you know, Einstein, you know, science and mathematics. But you keep talking about artistry. How many athletes talk about art?

I don't.

How many athletes view the world through a lens of art?

Gosh. That's what it is. Are you. Are you serious? Like, yeah. Now we know how we really are.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

How big and massive. But we never see it.

Yeah, yeah.

We don't take the time to see it.

So.

Yes. Or okay, you could actually say top athlete. They are artists. Look at that. So.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

I don't know.

Right, right.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

There's a lot they make it look like. Dang. That's artistry.

Right. Of course, when you watch a really incredible athletic show, when you watch a real. Just whatever sport, whatever the feat is, the first thing that really strikes you is not necessarily the strength, though, you see that? But it's the grace of everything. Right. All the movements going in the right direction totally meet the moment and it all just comes off.

Is that not artistry?

Right.

What? Come on. So I know we've talked about so many different things, but that is. That's my brain. That's how. And the. You know, when I smoke a cigar, it's like deep to me.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Down to a very artistic thing in itself, a cigar. Even the way you're talking about the land and the creation, it reminds me of this great quote, I love this quote from Alexander Pope, which is, all nature is but art unknown to the all chance direction, which thou canst not see. You think all of that from. You're a little kid and almost nobody believes in you. Almost nobody believes in you. And then you just. You wind up here. You couldn't have possibly planned it.

Oh, man.

You have your own ideas, but you couldn't have planned all this out.

I planned that I was going to be in the military. That's what I planned. But I said this. I had to be in some type of operation like scout sniper, because I could be alone or with someone, but knowing that those people are dependent on me for their life, that's a. I don't know. That's a responsibility that I would have welcomed. So I was going to be in the military and I wanted to be Some type of operation behind the scene.

But even that, the way you're talking, it's about the individual. I can be alone, I can be working, but it's not disconnected from everyone else. And I think of it not to be too cute about it, but you think about that with a cigar. A cigar is, on one hand, the most social of luxuries. You know, it's about sitting in a lounge and talking to people. But you can also. And I do this many nights. I sit alone with my cigar and I'm with my thoughts. I'm looking up at the sky and I'm in conversation with God or maybe with myself. But, you know, and it's both perfectly solitary and perfectly social. And somehow that makes sense. You're the. You're the star athlete. It's kind of. It's all about you. I mean, you are the guy. But it's also about the team and the game and the franchise and the legacy. And somehow both of those things exist at once.

And to me, like when I have a good stick, I see everybody do it. When they light that cigar up the first time we do that. And it's just.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

And then to be able to have a conversation with people and hear where they from and history about that, knowing now where the Mayflower name came from. See, that's. That's personal to me. That's. And it's. It's not me.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

But you gotta know how I feel about my heritage.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Carl Malone]

Right now you're part of that story.

Yeah.

You're in the. Now. Now I'm in the story of the cigar. Yeah, that's right.

So our partnership is going to be amazing. And I tell you what, however we got here, you believed in it. And I make a promise to you now, me and my family will not disappoint you or embarrass you guys. Whatever ride we go on, we'll go on it together.

I never thought you would. That was not. That was not a fear. I hope I can live up to that. On my.

And I'm Karl Malone and I approve of that.

Carl. I could sit here all day, certainly till the end of this cigar. Probably the end of second or third cigar. If you would care to join us for these cigars if you're 21 years or older. Older. Some exclusions apply, as the lawyers tell me. And you can get the La Aurora barrel aged Karl Malone cigar, which I'm smoking. And it is excellent. It's got different blends of tobacco too. You know, the Mayflower Dusk, which you're smoking is an Ecuador Habano wrapper. It's a Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler. For the dawn, it's a Ecuador, Connecticut wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Nicaraguan filler. With the La Aurora Carl Malone. I'm getting different flavors. I'm getting a lot of that pepper. I'm getting a little more strength, actually. There's a little more strength coming in here. Yeah, it's really magnificent. Cigars that will complement each other very, very well in your humidor.

Carl, I appreciate it. And I would like to end by saying, what would it be like one of these days, some lounge? Reach out to Mayflower and Michael and his team and say, you know, we would love to host you guys there. And I would say we've got the talking out the way. Let's do it.

Let's do it.

[Unknown]

If Michael Knowles is good for anything, it's Mayflower cigars. And luckily, boxes of Mayflower's premium handmade cigars are now back in stock. With limited quantities, now's the time to sample Mayflower signature blends and stock up on your favorites. Plus, get yourself a beautiful xikard double guillotine cutter. Don't wait. These will sell out. You must be 21 years or older to order. Some exclusions apply. Go to mayflowercigars.com today.