Victor Wembanyama may want the NBA to distance itself from Karl Malone
Wembanyama, who is currently recovering from a blood clot that sidelined him for the second half of last season, was recently cleared to return from his injury. He caught some attention based on some of his social media activity this week.
The NBA made a post wishing a happy birthday to former NBA star Karl Malone. Here is what we wrote in 2023 regarding allegations that Malone impregnated his 13-year-old neighbor when he was 20:
Blood tests showed a 99.3 percent probability Malone was the father of Demetress Bell, per AP.
The family could have filed criminal charges against Malone for impregnating a minor because, in Louisiana, an individual could not consent to sex until the age of 17. While statutory rape could have carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Malone was a 'neighborhood kid', so they didn't press charges.
His actions are absolutely heinous and should make it hard for the NBA to look themselves in the mirror after honoring this man two years in a row. But the story doesn't stop there for Malone and his awful shortcomings.
When the child's grandparents filed a lawsuit in 1985 requesting $200 a week to help their daughter raise their son, Malone did not respond, despite his career earnings topping $104 million. He was ordered to pay $125 per week in child support, but he appealed, eventually reaching a settlement that did not require him to acknowledge that he was the father.
It seems more than possible that Wembanyama is aware of the history surrounding Malone.
More: The NBA should be ashamed for honoring Karl Malone during All-Star Weekend
He reposted DJ J. Strand reacting to the birthday wishes with a meme video of content creator Lil Rodney Son saying "Oh no, see, that's what we not about to do."
Also in the video responding to the post about Malone, Lil Rodney Son is on camera saying someone belongs "under the jail" for their actions.
To be fair, we don't know exactly why Wembanyama chose to repost this.
Remember: Reposts do not equal endorsements (which is now officially the case, as decided by a judge) so unless Wembanyama directly says something about the matter, we do not know his feelings.
But many, including Complex, are speculating that Wemby would like the league to distance itself from Malone.
Even this, though, is more than most (if not all) prominent basketball players have said about this difficult topic.
So perhaps just the speculation that the rising star wants no part of Malone is enough for the NBA to listen.
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