Why did Karl Malone leave the Los Angeles Lakers? Was it because of Kobe Bryant?
Read on to find out why Karl Malone left the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2004 season
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Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone
Karl Malone is one of the most easily forgotten NBA players to have played the game. One of the reasons is that he doesn’t have nearly as many achievements, specifically championships. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though. The Mailman lost to Michael Jordan for the majority of his peak. He, therefore, joined the LA Lakers in 2004, along with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, in a final effort to win a championship.
They were the favorites to win the cup going into that season. Karl Malone was denied a championship, though, as they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals. However, the root of all the team’s issues was the conflict in the locker room, particularly between Kobe and Malone. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s wife reportedly felt quite uncomfortable when Malone allegedly made some lewd comments to her.
According to reports, Karl Malone requested Vanessa to give him a hug. She was visibly perplexed and uneasy. He allegedly responded, “If you do that, it will be on the cover of every magazine in the country,” when she questioned why. Upon hearing this she definitely got angry. She emphasized to him that she was married and that he was old enough to be her father. Malone responded by saying, “ooh, like your daddy?” without showing any signs of guilt.
Vanessa was immediately obliged to end the conversation after hearing Malone’s remark. But it wasn’t the end. She questioned the Mailman, who was sporting a cowboy hat, “Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?” after the game. “I’m looking for young Mexican chicks,” He said. Venessa, of Mexican ancestry, became enraged and left. Kobe Bryant was really outraged when she told him everything that had happened and he was ready to fight the legend. It was after this season that Karl retired from the NBA
Karl Malone was earlier accused of sexual harassment
In the basketball world, Karl Malone is undoubtedly the most despised retired legend. After learning of the atrocities, he perpetrated, several journalists and commentators criticized the Utah Jazz for honoring him with a statue. He got Gloria Bell, then 13 years old, pregnant in Louisiana when he was 20 years old. His career continued as usual and her family chose not to press charges against him.
The situation reportedly got worse when Bell’s family requested minimal financial assistance from Malone so that the 15-year-old Gloria could care for her two-year-old kid, but he refused. A district judge then demanded that he pay child support.
The youngster in issue grew up to become Demetress Bell, a 2008 NFL Draft selection of the Buffalo Bills. Karl Malone refused to divulge his assets and submit to DNA testing, and as a result, he was found guilty of multiple offenses, including contempt of court. Blood testing later indicated that, despite initially disputing his paternity, Demetress had a strong likelihood of being Malone’s child.
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Abhivyakt Sharma
(270 Articles Published)