Karl Malone Fires back at Kobe Bryant's accusations

[Walter Cronkite]

Malone says he Rejects Role in 'Another Bryant Soap Opera'

The Kobe Bryant-Karl Malone feud has turned personal, with Bryant accusing Malone of making a pass at his wife at a game. (Click here for that story) "He was like a mentor, like a brother to me, so when something like that happens, you're upset, you're hurt," Bryant said Sunday night before the Los Angeles Lakers played the Orlando Magic.

In his first public statement since the feud erupted, Malone declined to address accusations by Bryant.

"Misery loves company," said Malone, in Arkansas working at his logging farm. "This is a Hollywood soap opera, and I'm not going to be a star in another Bryant soap opera."

Malone also said his wife, Kay, responded privately by letter Monday to the Bryants and Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

The latest feud involving Bryant and a former Laker - he also has alienated Shaquille O'Neal and former coach Phil Jackson - became personal during the weekend when Bryant said Malone made inappropriate comments to Vanessa at a Lakers game Nov. 23.

Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, told the Los Angeles Times that Malone denied making a pass and said he apologized to the Bryants for his comments. Manley said Malone, wearing jeans and cowboy boots, hugged Vanessa, then Vanessa asked "Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?"

"She said it twice," Manley told the newspaper, "and Karl answered the second time, 'I'm hunting for little Mexican girls.' "

Last Tuesday Malone's agent said he didn't plan to return to the Lakers because of comments Bryant made in a radio interview. Bryant spoke about the Lakers having to look over their shoulders, wondering whether Malone was going to play again.

Manley said then that Malone was furious at Bryant, and also said private, personal attacks were involved, but would not elaborate.

Bryant elaborated his side of the situation on Sunday.

He said he had phoned Malone, who has a home near Bryant's in Newport Beach, after Vanessa told her husband on Nov. 23 that Malone had made inappropriate comments to her that night at the game at Staples Center.

Bryant said he called Malone and told him, "Stay away from my wife. What's wrong with you? How could you?"

Bryant said he obviously was surprised by Malone's remarks to his wife.

"The comments that he said, I don't know any man in this room that wouldn't be upset about that," Bryant said in the Lakers' locker room. "The past month, myself, my wife, (Malone's wife) Kaye, we've had fun together.

"We've been out to their house, just joking around, giving each other a hard time, just clowning, being sarcastic with one another, baby-sitting kids and all that."

Asked if there could have been a misunderstanding, Bryant said, "What he said is what he said. I believe in my heart that it wasn't a misunderstanding.

'My wife wasn't going to stand for it. She felt uncomfortable being around him to the point that she felt she had to call his wife and tell her."

Bryant said Malone didn't deny making the comments, and told him during their phone conversation, "Aw, you know, I'm sorry if I said anything that was out of line."

Malone, 41, is recovering from knee surgery and appears to be leaning toward retirement. Several teams are interested in Malone, including the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

If the second-leading scorer in NBA history does return, he said it wouldn't be with the Lakers and Bryant.

Malone opted out of his $1.65 million contract following last season, making him a free agent.

Despite his obvious anger toward Malone, Bryant said he would be able to separate his personal feelings if Malone should rejoin the Lakers.

"If he could come back and play for us and help us out, I'm happy to embrace him as a teammate," Bryant said. 'But only as a teammate."

Bryant is the defendant in a civil lawsuit accusing him of rape. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for pain, scorn and ridicule the woman says she has suffered since her encounter with Bryant at the Vail-area resort where she worked in June 2003.

Source: AP

[AndySMC]

Kobe has turned the LA Lakers into one big soap oprea. You'd think he would have enough common sense to realize that Malone was joking when he said that to his wife.

The team should be called Lakers 90210

[Bob Berkowitz]

Vanessa Bryant is just trying to put herself in the spotlight. She's going to cause a lot of stress with her accusations of someone trying to make a pass at her when she's not all that. She looks like a high priced hood rat.

[Modern Arts]

Off espn.com

"Karl and his son were at the game sitting in the front row," Pelinka said. "Vanessa was on the cell phone talking to Karl's wife, Kaye, and Vanessa said that her son looked bored. Kaye told her to call Karl to have her son join her in her seats. Kaye 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 Kaye being around. Karl continued. 'Do you like me?' Malone asked her, to which Vanessa said, 'As my friend, Kaye'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.

In the second half of the game, Malone sent his son to sit with the Bryants.

"Vanessa told me that she just was very uncomfortable at halftime and that Karl was acting and saying weird things." said Pelinka. "When the game ended, Vanessa walked Malone's son back to Karl. She told me that she asked Malone why he was wearing that (cowboy) hat. His response was, 'I'm hunting for young Mexican girls.' At which point Vanessa just walked away."