In one day the news broke about Damon Stoudamire getting busted for drug possession at an airport, Kobe Bryant being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault (charges may not be filed) and Orlando Magic guard Darrell Armstrong getting arrested and accused of fighting with a female police officer outside a nightclub.

In the NBA, this is nothing new.

Remember when Allen Iverson was arrested after he went looking for his wife and threatened two men with a gun? And who could forget about New Jersey forward Jayson Williams, who allegedly shot a limo driver accidentally when he was drinking and playing around with a shotgun, then tried to make it look like a suicide?

Closer to home, it wasn't too long ago when Olden Polynice was driving around impersonating a police officer and getting in fights on a golf course.

NBA fans have gotten hip to the new NBA and even renamed one of the franchises:

The Portland Jail Blazers.

There's no need to buy the NBA League Pass on Direct TV -- if you want to follow the league, just get a police scanner.

Jason Kidd's wife called 911 on him for fear of her life. Heck, even NBA broadcaster Marv Albert pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge after details of his bizarre love life surfaced, which included dressing up in women's underwear and biting a woman.

Auuuggghh! Enough.

Just in time, there is some good news.

This week, the Sporting News unveiled its annual issue devoted to "Good Guys in Sports. "

Move over, NBA's most wanted, it's time to give the good guys some credit.

For the last five years, The Sporting News has dedicated one issue a year to honor the good guys in each of the major sports.

A familiar name took home the top honor in the NBA. Any guesses who?

Here's a hint, he lives just up the road.

Karl Malone.

Yes, the same Karl Malone who people will call disloyal if he changes uniforms. Yes, the same Mailman who whines about his contract and has the reputation of being a dirty player on the court.

Him?

I can hear it now. Someone somewhere has a story about Malone being rude to them at a basketball camp, or one time a young fan stood in line for an autograph, but never got one.

But that sounds a little bit like you and me.

Can we honestly say we've gone through our lives without offending a single person?

Over his 18 years in Utah, hundreds of people have their own Karl Malone stories, including me.

My most memorable Malone encounter came in Portland just minutes after Utah's season ended in the second round of the 2000 playoffs at the Rose Garden.

Reporters crammed the Jazz locker room and asked the same question: "Karl, do you think the window of opportunity to win an NBA title is now closed? "

In other words, give us a comment on the fact that you just realized you will never win an NBA title with Utah.

After Malone finished his interviews, he walked down the hallway and noticed a Portland fan who must have been 12 or 13. He was in a wheelchair and accompanied by his parents. He had a Trail Blazers jersey on and a game program.

The boy got the courage up to tell Malone good game. The Mailman responded by giving the boy his wrist bands. He then sent an usher back to the locker room to get a Jazz hat, which he autographed and gave the boy. He posed for a picture with the family and continued to talk with the boy for another five minutes.

There were no TV cameras around. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, I was the only media member who saw the exchange.

This was hardly out of character for Malone, who has been making an impact off the court for years, even if no one knows about it.

It was Malone who drove a truckload of supplies ($200,000 worth) to an Indian Reservation in Utah.

It was Malone who knocked on the Christensen family's door one day with a check to pay off their house. The Christensens lived in Sandy and had four children who suffered from a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy and were knee deep in medical bills.

It was Malone who noticed one time at a game that there was a woman in the stands who was crying. He asked the one of the coaches to find out what was wrong. It turns out her best friend's child just died and her husband thought taking her to a Jazz game would help take her mind off of the tragedy.

It didn't work.

So Malone sent over an autographed pair of shoes and later personally delivered his wrist bands.

It was Malone who visited a boy who was injured in a four-wheeler accident. Malone took the watch of his wrist and said, "This is my favorite watch. I want you to have it. When you get better, I want you to come to a game and you can give it back to me. "

A few months later the boy did as the Mailman asked.

And it was Malone who befriended a 13-year-old boy named Danny Ewing, who was suffering from leukemia. Despite his efforts to keep the friendship private, the media picked up on their relationship and was on hand to get a rare glimpse of Malone's work off the court.

Malone invited Danny to the Olympics and to his private birthday party. He gave the boy and the boy's mother his wife's seats at the Jazz playoff games and spoke at his funeral when Danny died.

This week, the Sporting News celebrates the good things athletes do.

For me, it comes just in time.
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