Kyle Filipowski Is In The Middle Of A Very Mormon NBA Controversy

Never let anyone convince you the professional sports world isn’t just as wild as some of the mess we see on The Real Housewives. The 2024 NBA draft has fans raising a concerned eyebrow towards newly drafted Utah Jazz player Kyle Filipowski. Why does it feel like every time Utah is in the news, it’s for something extremely shady, like Jen Shah going to prison for scamming old people? Anyway, Kyle is a nearly seven-foot center who hails from Duke University, so he was basically a shoo-in to become a first-round pick. (If *eye* were an abnormally tall male with an ounce of hand-eye coordination, I’d def give bouncing a ball for millions of dollars a shot, too). But despite his obvious skill on the court, Kyle’s name was surprisingly one of the few not called, leading sportsheads at home to be slightly confused.

After Kyle eventually claimed the 32nd pick (honestly, not horrible, all things considered), an ESPN commentator alluded to the fact that “off-court” drama may have delayed his selection. Apparently, this was the invitation the Filipowskis were waiting for to speak publicly about the upsetting situation allegedly involving his fiancée Caitlin, the Mormon church, and a seriously questionable age gap that has left the family estranged from their son. Here’s a detailed explanation of the Mormon controversy surrounding Kyle Filipowski and Caitlin Hutchison.

What happened with Kyle Filipowski and his fiancée Caitlin?

Image Credit: Getty Images

After the attention from the draft, Kyle’s family spoke out on social media to claim that they were estranged from Kyle due to his relationship with his future wife, Caitlin Hutchison. Caitlin is seven years older than Kyle and is said to be an active member of the Mormon church according to The Daily Mail. Kyle’s mom, Becky, claimed on X that Caitlin was “28 with an endgame 3 years ago to have a diamond ring on her hand when Kyle left Duke. HE WAS STILL IN HS.” According to Kyle’s brother Daniel, Caitlin was in her 20s compared to Kyle’s 15 years when she “started her pursuit” in 2019. He went on to claim that the couple went official at Kyle’s senior prom when he was 17 and she was 24.

What is Caitlin Hutchison accused of?

Kyle’s brother Daniel made his concerns crystal clear in a string of tweets following his brother’s age gap relationship gaining some attention. Daniel advised those curious about why the Filipowskis are upset to Google “Mormon grooming and brainwashing.” He replied to a tweet to claim Caitlin allegedly made Kyle cut the family off via a “goodbye letter” over email and that they have no way to get in touch with him anymore except publicly.

How did Kyle Filipowski meet Caitlin Hutchison?

Image Credit: Getty Images

Caitlin and Kyle’s families were close friends when they were growing up. Daniel Filipowski captioned a 2017 group photo (including a then 13-year-old Kyle and 20-year-old Caitlin) “hangin’ out with my cousins again.” However, Caitlin’s mother, Amanda, seemingly no longer has a positive relationship with Filipowski. She defended her daughter’s relationship against claims of grooming to The Daily Mail, implying that the truth “will be forthcoming.”

“What we’ve always said to the kids is, for everything that’s good, if you have faith at all there will be adversaries, there’s always a negative for every positive,’ she said. ‘So it’s how we weather those storms.” According to her, the couple is staying low for the time being.