Published 14:13 IST, May 22nd 2020
Karl Malone ridiculed for affair with 13-year-old girl in 1983, son responds on Twitter
Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone reportedly impregnated a 13-year-old minor when he was 20. His other son, KJ Malone, defended his father in a Twitter video.
Karl Malone briefly featured in Michael Jordan's The Last Dance as the Chicago Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in back-to-back NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. However, director Jason Hehir revealed that Malone had refused to be interviewed for the documentary. Malone's refusal and role in The Last Dance caused people to talk about his and 13-year-old Gloria Bell's scandal.
Malone impregnated a minor and then refused to pay for the child support. His son, KJ Malone, shared a video asking everyone to leave his family alone. Here is the KJ Malone statement about the relationship between his father and Gloria Bell.
Also read | James Harden claims to be studying The Last Dance while gearing up for possible NBA return
KJ Malone statement about the infamous Gloria Bell and Karl Malone scandal
Please watch and Respect my Family. pic.twitter.com/llqpvsQSKi
— KJ Malone (@Kj63Kj) May 18, 2020
Malone shared the video on his Twitter account, asking people to watch it and respect his family. Malone delivered his message emotionally, admitting that his then-20-year-old father committed a mistake. KJ further added that the Jazz legend treats everyone equally in the family. He stated he wanted to stand up for his father, who despite making the mistake, is great.
He revealed that Malone still takes care of his and Gloria Bell's son – Demetress Bell – who KJ loves 'to death'. KJ explained that the comments made by people not only affect him but also hurts his mother. He wanted to let everyone know that his father was a 'great person' and all the comments 'really hurt'.
The Root’s senior editor Stephen Crockett tweeted about the situation first, where he referred to Malone as 'trash'. In his video, KJ admitted that he knew the amount of backfire he would receive and his mother was also going to be mad at him. However, he was determined to do this for his family.
KJ Malone statement: Karl Malone's son asked people to leave their family alone over the Gloria Bell and Karl Malone affair
When Karl Malone finally met his son at 17, he told him "It's too late for me to be your father."
— Stephen Crockett Jr. (@SACrockettJr) May 18, 2020
Karl Malone is trash.
Also read | Rajasthan Royals recreate Michael Jordan's The Last Dance meme in 'Halla Bol' theme song
Gloria and Karl Malone met when Williams was a sophomore at Louisiana Tech University. He impregnated her, after which their son Demetress Bell was born. Bell's grandparents took the Jazz star to court and asked him to pay $200 per week for child support.
As per an ESPN report, Malone was confirmed to be the child's biological father after a paternity test. The court then ordered him to pay the family $125 per week for child support along with previous and future expenses, which he refused to do. He reportedly settled the case with the Bells outside the court for a confidential sum between 1988 and 1989.
Bell and Malone were reported to have no relationship while growing up and the former had reportedly stated that he grew up without a father figure, which did not affect him. Both of them reportedly started talking again in 2014 and worked on their relationship. In 2018, Bell revealed that he and Malone were on much better terms and were even talking 'nearly every day'.
Bell played in the NFL for five seasons, where he reportedly earned $5.7 million. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and played with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 followed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2013, after which he was released.
Updated 14:13 IST, May 22nd 2020