Who Is Karl Malone’s Family? The Fascinating Lives of “The Mailman’s” Seven Children
Karl Malone children make up one of the largest families in NBA history, with seven sons and daughters born to three different mothers between 1981 and 1998. The Hall of Fame power forward, known as “The Mailman,” spent 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz and became a household name for his scoring and durability. His family story is less tidy than his highlight reel. Three of his children grew up away from him, while four were raised in his marriage to Kay Kinsey. Today they include a three-time WNBA champion, a former NFL offensive tackle and a former LSU lineman who chose law enforcement over a pro football career.
How Many Children Does Karl Malone Have?
Karl Malone has seven children, born to three different women. Sportskeeda and Legit.ng both report the same count: four daughters and three sons.
Cheryl and Daryl Ford are fraternal twins born in 1981 to Bonita Ford, Malone’s high school girlfriend. Demetress Bell was born in 1984 to Gloria Bell. Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee are Malone’s four children with his wife, Kay Kinsey.
Some low-quality websites claim Malone has four or even eight children. Those pages mix up names and ages, and they do not match the reporting in the Salt Lake Tribune or the official LSU roster biography of K.J. Malone. The figure of seven holds up across the more reliable sources.
Karl Malone Bio Table
Karl Malone is a Hall of Fame power forward who built his reputation with the Utah Jazz from 1985 to 2003. The table below gives the key facts about him and his family.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Karl Anthony Malone |
| Nickname | The Mailman |
| Born | July 24, 1963, in Summerfield, Louisiana |
| Position | Power forward |
| College | Louisiana Tech |
| NBA teams | Utah Jazz (1985 to 2003), Los Angeles Lakers (2003 to 2004) |
| Major honors | Two-time NBA MVP (1997, 1999), Naismith Hall of Fame (2010) |
| Spouse | Kay Kinsey, married December 24, 1990 |
| Children | Seven: Cheryl Ford, Daryl Ford, Demetress Bell, Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee |
| Children with Kay Kinsey | Four: Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee |
| Children from earlier relationships | Three: Cheryl Ford, Daryl Ford and Demetress Bell |
Karl Malone’s Children at a Glance
The seven Malone children range in age from their late 20s to their mid 40s. This table lists each child, the year of birth, the mother and what the public record shows about them.
| Child | Born | Mother | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Ford | June 6, 1981 | Bonita Ford | Three-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock |
| Daryl Ford | June 6, 1981 | Bonita Ford | Played basketball at Louisiana Tech |
| Demetress Bell | May 3, 1984 | Gloria Bell | Former NFL offensive tackle |
| Kadee Malone | 1991 | Kay Kinsey | Keeps a private life |
| Kylee Malone | 1993 | Kay Kinsey | Keeps a private life |
| K.J. Malone | May 8, 1995 | Kay Kinsey | Former LSU left tackle |
| Karlee Malone | 1998 | Kay Kinsey | Youngest child, active on social media |
Cheryl Ford: The WNBA Champion
Cheryl Ford is the most decorated of Karl Malone’s children. She was born on June 6, 1981, and starred at Louisiana Tech, where she won the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year award in 2002 and 2003.
The Detroit Shock selected her third overall in the 2003 WNBA draft. She averaged 10.8 points and 10.4 rebounds as a rookie, according to the WNBA, and became the first rookie in league history to average a double-double. She also became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and a championship in the same season.
Ford won three titles with Detroit, in 2003, 2006 and 2008. She earned four All-Star selections and won the 2007 All-Star Game MVP award. She led the league in rebounding in 2005 and 2006, and she broke the single-season rebounding record in 2006.
Her Hall of Fame case has grown with time. KSLA reported in December 2023 that she received a nomination for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Her father joined the celebrations after Detroit’s title run, and the two built a close relationship as adults.
Daryl Ford: Cheryl’s Twin Brother
Daryl Ford is Cheryl’s fraternal twin and one of Malone’s two oldest children. He was born on June 6, 1981, the same day as his sister.
Like his sister, Daryl enrolled at Louisiana Tech and played basketball for the Bulldogs. That makes the Ford twins the second generation of the Malone family to wear the Louisiana Tech colors.
Daryl has stayed far out of the spotlight compared with Cheryl. Reliable sources contain little detail about his career or personal life since college. That silence looks like a personal choice, so this article does not guess at details the public record does not confirm.
Demetress Bell: The NFL Offensive Tackle
Demetress Bell is Karl Malone’s third-oldest child and the only one of his children to play in the NFL. He was born on May 3, 1984, in Summerfield, Louisiana. He was formerly known as Demetrius Bell.
Bell played college football at Northwestern State and graduated in 2008. The Buffalo Bills picked him in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft, 219th overall. He moved to left tackle after injuries hit the Bills’ offensive line and later started for the team.
Bell signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 and joined the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason roster in 2013. Pro Football Reference credits him with 40 games played and 35 starts in the NFL.
His mother, Gloria Bell, was 13 when he was born, and Malone was a 20-year-old student at Louisiana Tech, according to Sportskeeda. Bell has spoken about growing up without his father, and he has said the experience made him a better person. He remains close to his siblings, including Cheryl and Daryl.
Kadee, Kylee and Karlee Malone
Kadee, Kylee and Karlee are the three daughters of Karl Malone and Kay Kinsey. Kadee was born in 1991, Kylee in 1993 and Karlee in 1998.
The family lived in Utah during Malone’s Jazz years, and K.J. later attended high school in Ruston, Louisiana. The LSU roster biography of their brother K.J. lists all three of them as his siblings.
Public information about them is limited. Kadee and Kylee keep a low profile, and the main sources offer no career details for either sister. Legit.ng describes Karlee, the youngest, as an internet personality and model, though she shares little about her family life.
K.J. told NFL.com that his sisters see him as a protector. He said he stays alert whenever he takes them out to eat.
K.J. Malone: The Football Player Who Chose Service
K.J. Malone, whose full name is Karl Anthony Malone Jr., is the only son Karl and Kay have together. He was born on May 8, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His LSU biography confirms that he goes by K.J. and lists his three sisters.
He did not follow his father to basketball. K.J. wanted to play in the NFL, and he grew into a four-star offensive line recruit at Cedar Creek High School in Ruston. He earned a scholarship to LSU and started two seasons at left tackle, protecting quarterback Danny Etling’s blind side.
K.J. nearly left LSU early to become a U.S. Marshal. The Advocate reported that he considered leaving after the 2016 season, but he returned for his senior year and graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.34 seconds at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. The Houston Texans signed him as an undrafted free agent. He retired in May 2018 after rookie camp, and he never played in a regular-season NFL game.
The Athletic Legacy Across Two Generations
Sports run through the Malone family, and the children have taken different routes through them. Karl Malone won two NBA MVP awards, in 1997 and 1999, and entered the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010. His children inherited his size and competitive streak, yet only one of them chose his sport.
Cheryl and Daryl followed him to Louisiana Tech, the school where Malone built his college reputation. Cheryl turned that start into three WNBA titles, a mark her father never reached in the NBA, where he lost two Finals to Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Demetress and K.J. chose football and played on the offensive line, the position where size and patience matter most.
K.J. told NFL.com that his father preferred he play a sport other than basketball. The reason was simple: comparisons would follow him anywhere. Even so, K.J. heard critics claim his scholarship and Combine invitation came from his surname, and he said that talk pushed him to prove them wrong.
Bell took a different road. He entered the league as a seventh-round pick and earned a starting job at left tackle in Buffalo. Neither son played in the NBA, so both built their careers outside the sport that made their father famous.
How Karl Malone Came to Know His Eldest Children
Karl Malone’s relationships with his three oldest children developed years after their births. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Bell’s grandparents took Malone to court for paternity in 1986, during his second season with the Jazz. They asked for $200 a week in support, and the case settled out of court.
The Ford twins arrived when Malone and Bonita Ford were both 17. Sportskeeda reports that the twins learned who their father was when their mother filed a paternity suit. Malone refused a DNA test and reached a settlement. In 1998, he accepted that he was their father and contacted them.
Malone has not often discussed this history. When the Salt Lake Tribune asked him about it during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, he declined to talk and said that he is human.
Many fans still criticize the way he handled these early years. The record also shows that he and his wife later welcomed the twins into the family, and Cheryl and Karl built a relationship that lasted through her championship years in Detroit.
Kay Kinsey and the Younger Malone Children
Kay Kinsey is the mother of Malone’s four youngest children and his wife of more than 30 years. She won the Miss Idaho USA title in 1988. She and Malone met in 1989 at an autograph signing in Salt Lake City, according to Sportskeeda.
The couple married on December 24, 1990. Kadee arrived the following year, and the family kept growing through the 1990s.
Kinsey also helped bring the older siblings into the family circle. Reports describe her as a stepmother to Cheryl, Daryl and Demetress. The family now includes grandchildren, and Malone has said they call him “Paw Paw.”
Conclusion
The Karl Malone children story combines athletic success with a complicated family history. Cheryl Ford built a championship career, Demetress Bell reached the NFL, and K.J. Malone chose service over a pro football future. Daryl, Kadee, Kylee and Karlee live mostly out of public view. Readers who want accurate details should rely on league records, school biographies and major news outlets, not the many mirror sites that repeat wrong numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Karl Malone’s Children
How many children does Karl Malone have?
Karl Malone has seven children with three different women. Cheryl and Daryl Ford are twins with Bonita Ford. Demetress Bell is his son with Gloria Bell. Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee are his four children with his wife, Kay Kinsey. He has four daughters and three sons in total.
Who are Karl Malone’s children by name?
Karl Malone’s children are Cheryl Ford, Daryl Ford, Demetress Bell, Kadee Malone, Kylee Malone, Karl Malone Jr. (K.J.) and Karlee Malone. The Ford twins and Bell were born before his marriage. Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee were born after he married Kay Kinsey in 1990.
Which Karl Malone child played in the WNBA?
Cheryl Ford played in the WNBA. The Detroit Shock drafted her third overall in 2003, and she won Rookie of the Year that same season. She won three championships with Detroit in 2003, 2006 and 2008. She also made four All-Star teams and won the 2007 All-Star Game MVP award.
Did any of Karl Malone’s sons play in the NFL?
Demetress Bell played in the NFL as an offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. The Bills drafted him in the seventh round in 2008. K.J. Malone signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but retired after rookie camp without playing a game.
Who is Karl Malone’s wife?
Karl Malone’s wife is Kay Kinsey, the 1988 Miss Idaho USA. They met in 1989 at an autograph signing in Salt Lake City and married on December 24, 1990. They have been married for more than 30 years and have four children together: Kadee, Kylee, K.J. and Karlee.
Who are Karl Malone’s twin children?
Karl Malone’s twins are Cheryl and Daryl Ford, born on June 6, 1981, to Bonita Ford. Malone and Ford were both 17 at the time. Both twins attended Louisiana Tech, and Cheryl went on to a championship WNBA career. Malone acknowledged them in 1998 and built a relationship with them.
Is Demetress Bell really Karl Malone’s son?
Yes. Bell’s grandparents filed a paternity suit in 1986, and Malone denied it at first. The case ended in an out-of-court settlement. A later blood test showed a 99 percent match, according to reporting on the case. Bell is also close to his half-siblings, including the Ford twins.
What did K.J. Malone do after football?
K.J. Malone retired from football in May 2018, just after signing with the Houston Texans. He had spoken for years about a career in law enforcement and nearly left LSU in 2016 to become a U.S. Marshal. He graduated from LSU with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Where do Karl Malone’s children live today?
The public record does not list current addresses for Karl Malone’s children, and this article does not guess. Malone and Kay Kinsey raised the younger four in Utah and Louisiana. K.J. has said Utah is where he planned to return after football, and Cheryl Ford built her career in Detroit.
Does Karl Malone have grandchildren?
Yes. Malone has spoken in public about his grandchildren and said they call him “Paw Paw.” Sources do not name the grandchildren or identify which of his seven children are their parents, so this article does not add details that reliable outlets have not confirmed.
