Victor Wembanyama’s Silent Repost Reignites Karl Malone Controversy
So, here’s what happened—on July 24th, the NBA’s official history account sent out a birthday shoutout to Hall of Famer Karl Malone, who just turned 62. Sounds innocent enough, right? But it didn’t take long for the internet to turn that post into something much bigger. And what made it go really viral was a subtle but powerful move by one of the NBA’s youngest and brightest stars—Victor Wembanyama.
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Wemby didn’t comment directly. He didn’t write a paragraph or even tweet his own thoughts. Instead, he reposted a video that called out Karl Malone’s deeply controversial past. In the video, a creator responds to the birthday message by saying, “Police, lock his a– up because he needs to be under the jail.” That’s strong language—but it's referring to something most fans know, yet the league rarely talks about.
See, when Karl Malone was 20 years old and playing at Louisiana Tech, he impregnated a 13-year-old girl named Gloria Bell. This happened in Louisiana, where the legal age of consent is 17—so yeah, it’s not just controversial, it would’ve been considered statutory rape. Technically, Malone could’ve faced up to 10 years in prison. But no criminal charges were filed. Instead, the girl’s family went after him in civil court. They wanted child support, but Malone didn’t even respond at first. A judge ordered him to pay $125 a week—he appealed. Eventually, a private settlement was reached, and he never had to publicly acknowledge the child, even though a DNA test later showed a 99.3% probability that he was the father.
Over time, Karl Malone has never publicly apologized or accepted responsibility. In fact, when he was asked about the backlash during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend—where he was invited as a judge—his response was, “I’m not discussing any of that. I don’t care… that’s my personal life.”
So now, fast-forward to 2025, and the NBA celebrates his birthday like nothing ever happened. But Victor Wembanyama’s repost—just a tap of a button—was enough to remind everyone of the unresolved issue. It sparked fresh debate about how the league handles the legacies of players with serious off-court misconduct. Some say Wemby should stay out of things that happened before he was born. Others believe his subtle statement was brave—and long overdue.
And that’s where we are. A new generation of players may be less willing to look the other way. And maybe, just maybe, the league won’t be able to either.
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