Karl Malone's son KJ took to Twitter to defend his former NBA player father after his statutory rape past resurfaced amid the airing of the ESPN docuseries The Last Dance. In 1983, a then-20-year-old Malone fathered a child with a 13-year-old girl named Gloria Bell while he was a star college player at Lousiana Tech. Malone was named in a paternity suit by Bell's family, and after several years of paying, Malone reportedly reached an out of court settlement with the family.
Karl's controversial past resurfaced as he was included in the ESPN docuseries, and the former NBA player is being slammed on social media. KJ addressed the controversy on Twitter, telling viewers, "I’m probably going to get a lot of backfire for this. My mom is probably going to get mad at me. But at the end of the day I’m doing this for my family. Just standing up for my dad. He made a mistake, but at the end of the day, he’s still a great dad. He still takes care of Demetress. Demetress is my brother, I love him to death."
Karl's wife reposted KJ's video on Instagram, writing, "@kjmalone I am so damn proud of you for speaking up and just know LOVE conquers all and that’s what we have as a family. As a mama I will always look out for my family. Instead of looking at people’s failures let’s celebrate their achievements and their loving hearts. I pray for all those people that are in a dark place that the only thing they know is to be ugly. I pray God wraps their arms around them and hope they feel the love that you have given me. This to shall pass. Corinthians 13. Love you Jr and stay strong."
You can hear KJ's full statement above.
