Karl Malone is a rather controversial figure in NBA. He was infamous for being creepy towards women, with one incident involving Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg. Malone had a rather dark past even before playing basketball as a professional in the NBA. Malone is an alumnus of Louisiana Tech. When he returned home to Summerfield during his sophomore year, he had impregnated a 13-year-old girl named Gloria Bell. The most troubling aspect of this abhorrent act was Karl Malone’s denial of all allegations and his refusal to acknowledge the paternity of the child. When Gloria’s family pursued legal action against Malone, he even declined to provide a $125 per week alimony payment, according to Three-Ring Circus.
Advertisement
Bell gave birth to Demetress, who would later have an offensive tackle career in the NFL.
Karl Malone once refused to pay $125 in alimony for impregnating a 13-year-old
In the book Three-Ring Circus, Jeff Pearlman mentions a bizarre incident when Karl Malone impregnated a 13-year-old. At that time, Malone was a 20-year-old sophomore at Louisiana Tech and a future NBA star. The impregnated girl, Gloria Bell, gave birth to the future NFL offensive tackle Demetress Bell on May 3, 1984.
This was not the first time Malone had violated a woman. When he was 17, he had impregnated a girl from his hometown. When the girl gave birth to twins, Malone denied being a father. This story was later uncovered by a newspaper years later.
In Gloria Bell’s case, the girl’s family took the matter to court when Malone denied paternity to the child. The court requested The Mailman to pay $200 per week as alimony. However, Malone just disappeared from the scene right after that incident.
After the paternity test came positive, the court ordered Malone to pay $125 per week, amounting to $6,250 a year. However, the Mailman, making around $825,000 with the Jazz, refused, arguing that the sum was too much.
Malone’s creepy behavior followed him until the end of his NBA career, with one incident involving Kobe Bryant. In his final season with the Lakers, Malone was the only person to support Kobe Bryant’s position in the team during his sexual harassment trial. However, there was an instance where he passed a lewd comment to Kobe’s wife, Vanessa.
In 2004, Malone arrived at the Staples Center wearing a cowboy hat. Finding the outfit amusing, Kobe asked The Mailman what he was hunting for. To this, he replied:
“I’m hunting for little Mexican girls.”
This comment made Kobe feel visibly uncomfortable, given Kobe’s wife is of Mexican descent. This is an instance of how Malone continued being a creep even in the final days of his NBA career.
The Mailman is still respected by the NBA despite a controversial and dark past
There have been several isolated incidents proving Karl Malone’s nature and behavior. He has also been in incidents alleging him of harassment. However, commenting on the same, Karl Malone told the Salt Lake Tribune:
“I don’t care. That’s my life, that’s my personal life, and I’ll deal with that like I’ve had to deal with everything. So, whatever.”
Malone has been left unpunished for his heinous deeds. Instead, the NBA has honored him on several occasions. You can find his and John Stockton’s statue outside Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah. Even this February, Malone was one of the honored guests of the NBA at the Utah All-Star game.
This has caused many fans to often call for action against the former Jazz star. NBA fans online have often been outraged over the unnecessary and uncalled attention that The Mailman receives, despite having a dark past that has affected several women.
