The Utah Jazz' newest rookie Kyle Filipowski has gotten off to one of the weirdest starts of an NBA career ever. While the seven-footer is a promising talent, he's at the center of a disturbing developing story that could jeopardize his future with the Jazz.
Kyle's brother Daniel alleged that Caitlin Hutchinson, Kyle's fiancee, has groomed him for marriage since high school, via X.
“1. My brother is a victim and was unfortunately a ‘perfect' pawn and target for this girl’s lifelong scheme based on his human characteristics and growing potential as a high-level prospect which started taking place in 2019, exactly at the time when she began her pursuit of him,” Daniel claimed.
Hutchinson reportedly started dating Filipowski in her mid-20s while the Duke alum was still a teenager, according to recent accounts about their relationship. The couple announced their engagement on April 18th.
“Kyle…myself, your entire family and friends love you and are here for you!” Daniel continued. “I have received so much outreach and support from families that have a child who has fallen victim to this same terrible and evil progression of psychological control and manipulation and my heart…”
Filipowski, who averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a stretch four with the Blue Devils, would've ordinarily been a shoo-in first-round draft choice, especially in a weak class like this past one was. However, the 20-year-old mysteriously fell to Utah in the second round. According to reports, his relationship may have been a huge factor why he fell off in the draft.
Unfortunately, the rabbit hole of this grooming tale only gets deeper.
More info on Kyle Filipowski rumors
The first domino to fall was when ESPN draft Johnathan Givony publicly flagged the strangeness surrounding Filipowski's stock falling, via The Lowe Post Podcast.
“NBA teams are talking about the fact that they had questions about his girlfriend being so much older than him, why was he estranged from his family because of this whole situation. It’s a very, very odd situation. I personally don’t understand why it would cause him to drop like this into the second round.”
This spawned commentary on X from Daniel and Beth Filipowski, the siblings' mother. They both revealed the grooming allegations, causing the internet to investigate
One key clue is Kyle's prom photo, which shows the two together when he was a minor, via SB Nation's James Dator.
“Filipowski was born in November of 2003,” Dator explained. “At the time of this photo he was 17 years old, and Hutchinson was (probably) 25 or 26. Even if we assume the first time they met was at this prom, that’s still an adult dating a minor. However, a now-deleted comment on the Filipowski prom photo from Hutchinson read: ‘one year with my favorite person.'”
“This would mean that they started their relationship when he was 16 years old and she was likely 24 or 25,” Dator continued.
Hutchinson's social media shows her graduating from Alabama in 2018, and graduating from high school in 2015. Meanwhile, “Flip's” family was nowhere in sight during any NBA Draft festivities.
Filipowski and his girlfriend have yet to respond to the allegations.
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