"Utah & pedophilia is becoming synonymous" - NBA fans in shambles over Kyle Filipowski donning Karl Malone's jersey number for Jazz

NBA rookie Kyle Filipowski was left disappointed after night one of the NBA draft when his name wasn't called. Despite being invited to sit in the NBA's green room in front of the stage on draft night, Kyle Filipowski didn't have his name called in the first round. It wasn't until night two of the draft that the Utah Jazz selected Filipowski with the 32nd pick of the draft.

By that time, however, fans had already become aware of a major controversy surrounding the big man. According to Kyle Filipowski's brother and mom, who took to social media, his girlfriend, who is reportedly 28 and is a reported eight years older than him, cut him off from the family.

In addition, she has also reportedly brought him into the Mormon church, raising questions from fans as to whether or not she groomed the big man from a young age. According to reports, after she graduated college, she then attended Kyle Filipowski's high school prom despite the age gap.

After being drafted with the 32nd pick, Filipowski was pictured holding a No. 32 jersey, the same number worn by Karl Malone. Of course, Filipowski won't be wearing No. 32 for the Jazz given that it's retired by the franchise.

Despite that, the fact that he went to Utah, a predominantly Mormon state, and was seen with Malone's jersey sparked a number of reactions from the NBA community.

"Utah jazz and pedophilia is becoming synonymous" - One fan wrote

"Man............... This is all just bad, especially that jersey." - Another added

"A Karl Malone jersey is nasty work considering…" - One added

Others were quick to make jokes about the large population of Mormons in Utah:

"Of course The Jazz drafted him" - One wrote

"Sometimes the jokes write themselves" - Another added

Others made jokes about his fiancee:

"Blink if you need to be saved" - One wrote

"Is that his GFs jersey? - Another added

Looking at Karl Malone's previous controversy amid Kyle Filipowski controversy

Amid the talk of Kyle Filipowski and his fiancé, there has been plenty of talk of Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone and his own controversial past. As many fans are aware, at the age of 20, Karl Malone impregnated a 13-year-old child.

The controversy resurfaces every time Malone's name is in the media, with NBA fans taking aim at the Hall of Famer when the league invited him to participate in Utah's All-Star weekend. In addition, when Malone got his statue in Utah, fans were highly critical of the NBA legend.

Back in 1983, when Malone was playing college basketball for Louisiana Tech, he impregnated a 13-year-old whom he referred to as his girlfriend. Despite having the option to, the girl's family never pressed charges. Instead, the two sides settled out of court.

While Malone wasn't a part of the child's life for many years, the pair have seemingly mended fences since.

While it's unclear whether or not Malone mended fences with Gloria Bell, the girl he impregnated, he has shown an unwillingness to discuss the topic. In an interview with the Salt Lake City Tribune, he shot down questions about the controversial situation:

“I'm not discussing any of that. I don’t care. That's my life, it's my personal life, and I'll deal with that like I've had to deal with everything. So… whatever.”

In the case of Kyle Filipowski, the age gap between he and his fiancé seems to be the same as the age gap between Malone and Bell. In the case of the incoming NBA rookie however, with reports indicating that his now-fiancé was once his babysitter, it seems the NBA community has drawn parallels to the two situations.