Everybody who follows the sport of basketball has their own specific set of players they would call their top ten. Similarly, people often debate who the greatest player of all time is. Such discussions are rarely easy to settle. However, the way people opinionate their list is always quite interesting. Julius Erving, popularly known as Dr. J, recently shared his own.
While he was interviewed by Joy DeAngela, he said, “I have five guys who are untouchable — Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. That’s my all-time best team. Everybody else has to be on the second or third teams, and I made this decision when I was 15 years old.” Erving continued to add five more to the list. He included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Karl Malone, and Tiny Archibald.
While he laid out a great list of players who changed the game forever, one name struck out the most. Karl Malone was quite an interesting addition. The former Utah Jazz player has every right to be called one of the greatest players of all time. Especially due to his success on the court and finishing second to Kareem on the scoring list. However, his history off the court is what had fans confused.
Fans react to Julius Irving’s choice in including Karl Malone on his all-time list
Julius Erving certainly had a great team setup. However, Erving’s decision to include Malone left fans unsettled. The Mailman had a history of allegations placed against him back in the day. In 1983, Malone had impregnated a 13-year-old whom he called his girlfriend. While the girl, Gloria Bell, was just entering her teenage years, Malone was already a legal adult. Bell’s family did not press charges and they felt that it would ruin his career.
Karl denied being the father of the child, Demetress Bell. However, the Bell Family would later sue Malone demanding that he admitted that he was Demetress’ father. Fans brought this incident to light after Julius Erving had shared his list. One fan said, “Putting karl malone is insane really.” Another fan said, “Karl Malone 13 Benzema 15.”
Putting karl malone is insane really
— nicooouuu (@nicoenavarro) July 31, 2023
Karl Malone 13
Benzema 15— 𝕏CL (@MXC1I) July 31, 2023
Malone would eventually meet 17-year-old Demetress. Even though the NBA Hall of Famer claimed it was too late to be his father, he went on to maintain a good relationship with Demetress. Bell would also turn to professional sports as he briefly played for the NFL. However, this isn’t the only time this incident has been brought up. The NBA was slammed for allowing Malone to judge the 2023 All-Star Game Dunk Contest despite his horrific past.