Malone gives Kobe standing offer to fight him

MANILA, Philippines – Former NBA superstar Karl Malone gave Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant a standing offer to physically fight him on Thursday, February 12.

While in conversation with Huff Post Live’s Marc Lamont Hill, the host asked Malone to talk about his now 11-year feud with Bryant, whom we played with for the Lakers in the 2004-2005 NBA season, and Malone said that “If Kobe don’t like me today, that’s Kobe Bryant’s fault.”

The former NBA MVP, who played most of his career with the Utah Jazz, later added: “I’m 6-foot-9, 272 to be exact. I’m not hard to find. I don’t want no trouble, but if something gotta go down, I’m not playing fair. We gotta get down, then we gotta get down, I’m just telling you.”

Malone also said that “I come in peace, but I do prepare for war if I have to.”

The two were actually good friends while playing together, with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal even saying that Malone was a “liaison” between him and Bryant when their off-court rivalry would reach boiling stages.

The feud between Malone and Kobe stems from comments Malone reportedly said to Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, during a November 23, 2004 NBA game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.

ESPN ran a story that includes accounts of what Malone told Mrs. Bryant:

“Karl and his son were at the game sitting in the front row,” [Rob] Pelinka said. “Vanessa was on the cell phone talking to Karl’s wife, Kay [Malone], and Vanessa said that her son looked bored. Kay told her to call Karl to have her son join her in her seats. Kay gave Vanessa Karl’s cell number and she called him. When she called, Karl’s response was, ‘Why don’t you come over here and sit next to me and give me a big hug?’ Vanessa said, ‘Why? For what?’ And Karl replied, ‘If you do that it will be on the cover of every magazine in the country.’

“Vanessa didn’t know what to say because this was the first time she had ever spoken to Malone without Kobe or Kay being around. Karl continued. ‘Do you like me?’ Malone asked her, to which Vanessa said, ‘As my friend, Kay’s husband,’ ” Pelinka said.
“From there Malone asked Vanessa if she could keep a secret, and that he would like to tell her something. At which point Vanessa told him she was a married woman and he was a married man who was old enough to be her father. To which Malone replied, ‘Oh, like your daddy?’ At that point she told me she ended the conversation,” Pelinka said.

The story also indicates that when Vanessa dropped Malone’s son back to him after the game, she asked the former NBA player why he was wearing a cowboy hat, to which Malone responded, “I’m hunting for Mexican girls.”

Bryant said that he called Malone not long after the incident and the latter did not deny saying the aforementioned statements. – Rappler.com