Pelinka, who works for SFX and has been Bryant's agent for four years, said he was told what transpired last month by Kobe and Vanessa Bryant.
"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."
On the car ride home, Vanessa Bryant told Kobe what had happened. Vanessa decided to call Kaye Malone and tell her about the way her husband had spoken to her. After they hung up, Kobe Bryant called Karl Malone on his cell phone.
"Kobe told me that Karl just listened and didn't deny any of it. Kobe said Karl's only reply was, 'You know me, man.' To which Kobe told him, 'That's right, I do know you -- and stay away from my wife,' " said Pelinka. "The next day, with all four of them on the phone, Karl denied it. At that point the Bryants knew that there was nothing left to talk about since they knew Karl wasn't telling the truth. Vanessa told me that she told Kaye that she wanted her to know 'just exactly what your husband did and you do what you want with the information.' "
