Karl Malone recently appeared at the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend, which was highly controversial. The event took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Malone spent 18 seasons of his professional career, winning two MVP awards and numerous other accolades.
While Malone was a fantastic basketball player, his behavior off the court was unacceptable. In addition to getting a 13-year-old girl pregnant (while he was a 20-year-old college basketball player), Malone also harassed Vanessa Bryant, widow of the late Kobe Bryant.
The 6-foot-9 power forward spent the final season of his career playing for the LA Lakers alongside Bryant. Unfortunately, not even his last season was without controversy.
Karl Malone stalked Vanessa Bryant
In 2004, during Malone’s only season with the Lakers, the power forward wore a cowboy hat and boots at Staples Center, the home of the Lakers.
Vanessa Bryant saw the NBA veteran and asked him a question about his appearance:
“Hey cowboy, what are you hunting?” Vanessa Bryant asked Malone.
However, her response was strange, considering that Bryant’s wife was of Mexican descent.
“I’m looking for Mexican girls,” Malone replied.
This was not the only incident involving Karl Malone and Vanessa Bryant. During the same season, the basketball star asked Kobe Bryant’s wife if she liked her. Vanessa tried to ignore him, saying that she was old enough to be her father.
“Oh, like your dad?” Malone told Bryant.
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Later, the former NBA player even offered to fight Kobe.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Malone said of the incident with Bryants. “But if something has to happen, I’m not playing fair. [If] we have to go down, then we have to go down. I’m just telling you.”
Considering that Malone got a 13-year-old girl pregnant shortly before entering the NBA, these comments made him look even worse.
Even so, the league included the Utah Jazz legend in the 2023 All-Star Weekend. Malone was a judge in the Slam Dunk Contest and was also honored at halftime of the All-Star Game.
Malone’s season with the Lakers
Karl Malone was a great basketball player, but he failed to win the championship during his 19-year NBA career. He came very close to winning it all in 1997 and 1998, but was beaten by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls both times.
The forward joined the Lakers in the 2003-04 season in hopes of finally winning a championship.
The two-time MVP had the worst season of his career in the City of Los Angeles. He appeared in just 42 games, averaging a career-low 13.2 points per game.
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The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games. Malone had a horrible series against the Pistons, averaging just 5.0 points on 33.3% shooting. He scored 20 points in 125 minutes.