SALT LAKE CITY - Karl Malone still looks capable of playing in the NBA.

The knee injury that kept him out for half of last season is healed and the muscles that bulge from beneath his T-shirt indicate he's keeping up with his three-hour daily workouts.

But mentally, Malone said he doesn't have the will to endure the rigors of a 20th season, even just for a few months to try to win his first NBA title. He has had enough.

"I have retired. You will not see me play again. That is a promise," Malone said Sunday at a news conference. "There will be no unbelievable comebacks."

But it was an unbelievable career. The 41-year-old Malone retires as the second-leading scorer in NBA history, spending 18 seasons in Utah and one with the Los Angeles Lakers while trying to cap his career with a championship.

He visited San Antonio last week and talked with the Spurs about signing on for a playoff run, but said the "spark" he had always had to play was no longer there.

"When I got on that plane, I knew I was done, that it was time," Malone said.

He said he wanted to keep from getting too emotional Sunday, and he succeeded. He started off by thanking the Jazz, coach Jerry Sloan and former teammates before team owner Larry Miller reminded him he hadn't yet actually said why he was back in the Delta Center.

"I come here very humble as a man and as a player," Malone said. "I am honored to be here today because this is where I started. This is a team that took a chance on a young man from Louisiana - I don't think they ever watched me play a game."

An avid outdoorsman, Malone sported a cowboy hat as he spoke about a future involving plenty of hunting and fishing and maybe someday a job back in basketball. But it won't be as a player. He's already done all he could on the court.

Malone was the league's MVP in 1997 and '99. One of the most durable players ever, he is second to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in scoring and minutes played. Malone's 14,968 rebounds rank him sixth on the career list and he also was a 14-time All-Star selection, winning the game MVP in 1989 and sharing it with longtime teammate John Stockton in 1993.

The Mailman also won Olympic gold medals in 1992 and '96. About the only thing missing in his career is a title ring, which he missed out on in all three of his trips to the NBA Finals. Malone and Stockton led the Jazz to the 1997 and '98 Finals, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls each time.

He had another shot with the Lakers last season, but was hobbled with a knee injury as the Detroit Pistons beat Los Angeles in five games.

"I wanted a championship. I'm not going to lie to you. That was my ultimate goal, but that was a team goal. That wasn't an individual goal," he said.

Malone said he chose Sunday to retire to honor his mother on what would have been her 67th birthday. Shirley Jackson Malone died in August 2003 and Malone said he still hasn't recovered emotionally.

The consummate power forward, Malone teamed with Stockton for 18 seasons with Utah, forming one of the NBA's greatest duos. Malone said Stockton, who retired in 2003 as the NBA's career leader in assists and steals, was one of the first people he called last week to say he was finished.

Miller, who had many very public run-ins with Malone over the years, said the overall experience of having Malone lead the team for so long was well worth the headaches.

"The good outweighed the bad remarkably," said Miller, who paused several times to collect himself during his remarks.

Bronze sculptures of Stockton and Malone are in the works and will stand outside the arena. Stockton's No. 12 was retired in November and Malone's No. 32 will follow next season.

"I wish he would have played another year here," Malone said, referring to Stockton. "I would have played another year with him."

AP-ES-02-14-05 0537EST