Karl Malone sparked controversy when he appeared as a judge during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
But Malone says he won’t address the criticism: “I’m not discussing any of that backlash,” he said in an interview per the Salt Lake Tribune.. “I don’t care. That’s my life, that’s my personal life, and I’ll deal with that like I’ve had to deal with everything. So, whatever.”
Malone was a judge for the league’s popular Slam Dunk Contest, but not without critics bringing up his past.
The former Jazz player impregnated a 13-year-old girl when he was 20 years old. He was a student at Louisiana Tech at the time and had denied fathering the child for years, despite blood tests that confirmed 99.3% probability, a 1998 Associate Press article reported.
Malone has since gone on to form a relationship with his now-38-year-old son, The New York Post reported.
Gloria Bell, the child’s mother, chose not to press charges against Malone because he was a “neighborhood kid” and said he “could not provide support for the child from jail.”
Malone also fathered twins when he was 17 years old. He reached an “out-of-court settlement” related to paternity, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
When asked about thoughts from his past, Malone said, “Whatever, I’m human,” according to the outlet.
The former NBA star denied access to longtime Tribune columnist Gordon Monson from attending his press conference. Monson wrote that Malone told a media representative he would only talk with media members if he weren’t there.
Malone, 59, was also included in the league’s on-court ceremony with LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the All-Star Game Sunday night. James was honored after he passed Malone and Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Malone received an ovation from the fans at Vivint Arena.
