Karl Malone needed confirmation. At 40 years old and with 18 seasons of N.B.A. experience, he was not sure he should feel this way. Ever since signing with the Los Angeles Lakers last month, Malone had been feeling like a child, jittery and jumpy.

He figured he should talk to Jerry Rice, the 40-year-old N.F.L. receiver who joined the Oakland Raiders two years ago after 16 seasons in San Francisco.

"I said, `Man, how am I supposed to feel?' " Malone said of the phone conversation. "And he said: `You're supposed to feel like you've been reborn again. You should feel like you feel. You should feel giddy, you should feel like a little kid in a candy store.' And that's exactly how I feel."

In his quest for a championship ring, Malone signed with the Lakers for $10 million ? $15 million less than he could have gotten from his former team, the Utah Jazz ? with $1.5 million being paid to him this season. He is also giving up precious off-season time this month to compete for the United States in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.

Malone, at least 10 years older than everyone else on the United States team, has won two gold medals and can become the first American man to win three basketball gold medals, so he is doing this to provide experience as America seeks to return to the top of the basketball universe. The United States will face Puerto Rico in an exhibition game today at Madison Square Garden.