In a day and age where information is readily accessible, it’s surprising how many people are unaware of the dark side of the NBA. Few players hold a darker past than Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone. When the masses hear Malone’s name, they think of the third all-time leading scorer as one of the best players ever. When Patrick Beverley discovered Malone’s true nature, he was literally speechless for several seconds and couldn’t even form a verbal reaction.
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Malone hasn’t been a topic of conversation for quite some time. But Richard Jefferson brought him up in a recent debate on the Road Trippin’ podcast. Jefferson began to compare Malone to his legendary counterparts at the power forward position.
In the comparison between Malone and Charles Barkley, the former NBA champion sided with Malone.
“The reason why I would pick Karl Malone over Charles is because the level of professionalism that Karl Malone always approached,” Jefferson said.
It’s interesting that professionalism is the turning point for Jefferson, because he seems to be forgetting one key character flaw. Malone allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl while he was a 20-year-old at Louisiana Tech University, though charges of statutory rape were not filed. That doesn’t seem like a professional thing to do.
Paternity tests revealed +99% certainty that the Jazz star was the father. That child, Demetress Bell, went on to become an NFL offensive lineman. Some people might doubt the legitimacy of the events, but in 2018, Malone finally acknowledged Bell as his son.
Although this piece of information isn’t hard to find, it isn’t common knowledge. There’s a high probability that Jefferson didn’t even have a clue that Malone had committed such an act. That was certainly the case with Patrick Beverley.
In a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast, Beverley and his cohost Rone were contriving an all-time NBA draft. The three-time All-Defensive Team member selected Malone. Rone shared his confusion regarding Beverley’s willingness to take Malone despite his off-court issues. Beverley had no idea what Rone was talking about, which led to the bombshell moment.
“When you say 13-year-old pregnant, was he 16?” Beverley asked. Unfortunately, the former Los Angeles Clippers guard found out that Malone was an adult at the time of the alleged incident.
“I need a f****** time out!” Beverley said, as the disgust and shock became apparent in his facial expressions.
“I didn’t even know this,” Beverley proclaimed. “That’s my thing. I didn’t know this at all.” Despite 12 years in the NBA, Beverley went his entire time in the league unaware of one of the biggest scandals by an athlete in the association’s history.
Beverley’s reaction has gone viral, making even more people aware of Malone’s past.
