Karl Malone, one of the NBA’s all-time greats, was not just a dirty player on the basketball court, but he was one of the filthiest superstar athletes you might know of. There are multiple stories of his inhumane behavior before he made it to the NBA and even after he retired as a 40-year-old.
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Not only did he impregnate a 13-year-old girl during his college days playing for Louisiana Tech, but once had become the NBA’s second-highest scorer of all time and left the game as a legend, he once absurdly flirted with the wife of Kobe Bryant.
When Karl Malone dared to flirt with Vanessa Bryant
Back in 2004, ESPN reported after an interview with the (now Lakers GM) Rob Pelinka revealed how Malone made multiple inappropriate remarks to his former teammate’s wife with whom he and his wife Kay had family relations as well.
“Karl and his son were at the game sitting in the front row,” Pelinka, Kobe’s former agent revealed. “Vanessa was on the cell phone talking to Karl’s wife, Kay, and Vanessa said that her son looked bored. Kay told her to call Karl to have her son join her in her seats.”
“Kay gave Vanessa Karl’s cell number and she called him. When she called, Karl’s response was, ‘Why don’t you come over here and sit next to me and give me a big hug?’ Vanessa said, ‘Why? For what?’ And Karl replied, ‘If you do that, it will be on the cover of every magazine in the country.’”
Pelinka continued, “Vanessa didn’t know what to say because this was the first time she had ever spoken to Malone without Kobe or Kay being around. Karl continued. ‘Do you like me?’ Malone asked her, to which Vanessa said, ‘As my friend, Kay’s husband.’”
This wasn’t the only ugly exchange they had. He had another comment on her which even included her descent.
Dwight Manley, Karl’s agent, told the Los Angeles Times that Vanessa Bryant had asked Malone, “Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?” as he was wearing a cowboy hat and boots.
“She said it twice,” Manley told, “and Karl answered, ‘I’m hunting for little Mexican girls.’”
That’s a rogue man who has never been disciplined his whole life.
Kobe’s response on the matter
Bryant, a few days later said to reporters, “The comments that [Malone] said, I don’t know any man in this room that wouldn’t be upset about that. The past month, myself, my wife, [Malone’s wife] Kay, we’ve had fun together. We’ve been out to their house, just joking around, giving each other a hard time, just clowning, being sarcastic with one another, babysitting kids, and all that.”
Bryant continued, “What he said is what he said. I believe in my heart that it wasn’t a misunderstanding. My wife wasn’t going to stand for it. She felt uncomfortable being around him to the point that she felt she had to call his wife and tell her.”
Also read: Pau Gasol Chokes up as He Reminices Kobe Bryant While Receiving the WNBA Advocacy Award
What happened to the 13-year-old girl he impregnated?
While he was still a sophomore, Malone had Gloria Bell with a baby, whom she gave birth to when she was just 13 and Karl was 20. This was after he had twins at age 17 with a girl, Benita Ford, who was also his age.
Bell’s son, Demetress Bell (already 38), grew up to be a professional football player (now retired). Among the twins, Cheryl Ford became a (3x) champion WNBA star.
