How was Karl Malone's statutory rape trial solved? Was he convicted or acquitted?

Karl Malone is one of the most dominant forwards in NBA history. However, before he entered the professional basketball league, Malone attended Louisiana Tech University.

During his college days, the young basketball player reportedly impregnated Gloria Bell, a 13-year-old girl. Gloria gave birth to now-popular NFL star Demetress Bell in 1984, just one year before the 6-foot-9 forward was drafted by the Utah Jazz.

Gloria's parents eventually took the basketball star to court for paternity. Malone agreed to a settlement off the court with Gloria's family, but the Jazz forward was never charged with rape.

Karl Malone was not convicted of rape

During his time with Louisiana Tech University, Malone was a bright basketball star. He played three seasons for the team, averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

While the power forward was an incredible basketball player, his off-the-court behaviour came under intense scrutiny.

He was under fire for reportedly impregnating a 13-year-old girl (hence, the term statutory rape for sexual intercourse with a minor in Louisiana) and having a child with her, and in the aftermath - also for refusing to acknowledge the child as his own.

Malone spent 19 seasons in the NBA (Image via Getty Images)

Gloria Bell's parents took the young basketball star to court in a paternity lawsuit. They wanted Malone to pay child support for the said son, but they ended up reaching a settlement out of court.

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Despite the nature of the sexual misconduct allegations with a minor, Karl Malone was never charged with rape. Bell's family simply wanted the Utah Jazz legend to acknowledge his son and pay for child support.

Malone is the father of Demetress Bell, a former NFL player (Image via Getty Images)

According to an AP report from 1998, Malone refused to pay monetary support for his child. He completely refused to acknowledge that he was the father, which is something that has impacted his reputation neagatively in retrospect.

Malone's son turned out to be a fantastic athlete as he became a football player. Demetress Bell was drafted in the seventh round in 2008 and ended up playing five seasons in the NFL, starting in 35 games.

Karl Malone eventually approached him and started working on their father-son relationship in 2014. The two eventually became very close and reportedly started talking almost every day.

Basketball fans are furious at the NBA for promoting Malone

The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is just a few days away. Once again, basketball fans will have a chance to watch the Slam Dunk Contest, which features some of the league's most amazing high-flyers.

The NBA selected Karl Malone as one of the judges, inviting a lot of negative reactions and criticism for the selection of the controversial ex-player.

Malone will be a Slam Dunk Contest judge (Image via Getty Images)

You may be interested in reading: When was Karl Malone accused of rape? Exploring his troublesome history

In addition to Malone, the NBA has also selected Lis Leslie, Dominique Wilkins, Jamal Crawford and Harold Miner as judges for the Slam Dunk Contest, which will be held on Saturday, 18th of March, 2023.