In 2004, LA Lakers player Kobe Bryant accused Malone of making passes at his wife. “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,” said Bryant. According to Malone’s agent, Bryant’s wife asked Malone, “Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?” and Malone replied, “I'm hunting for little Mexican girls.” Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, is of Mexican descent.