Ex-Sonics’ Coach George Karl Will Never Work in NBA Again “Rep Too Bad,” Says Former Tar Heel
During his 20 plus seasons coaching in the NBA, George Karl has had numerous run-ins with his players. Karl released his personal memoir a couple of years ago, and took shot at his former Denver Nuggets players, Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith and Kenyon Martin.
— wp:paragraph –>Karl revealed that both Anthony and Martin both didn’t have a father figure to show them how to manage their money, and to act like men.
“Kenyon and Carmelo carried two big burdens: all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man,” Karl wrote, according to Heavy’s Brandon ‘Scoop B ‘ Robinson.
It did not take very long for Martin to respond.
On Tuesday evening, NBA Analyst Brendan Haywood shared that Karl is not well like around the league.
“Negative! Very negative around the league, George Karl is not someone that… I rarely hear former players that played for George Karl tell positive stories. I don’t think George Karl will ever work in the NBA again because his rep is that bad. That is a Carolina guy too,” said Haywood.
“You know George Karl played at Carolina way back in the day. I don’t like to throw no shade at Carolina dudes, but I never played for George Karl, and he’s never done nothing to me. But, I have had some teammates that played for him, and nobody likes that dude.”
Karl’s former player, Ryan Hollins shared that Karl was a cool coach to talk to during his time in Sacramento. However, hurt himself with things he says online.
” I think from playing against him, he had respect as a coach because their teams were pretty good. They were undisciplined, and that was just their culture, you could get away with that back then,” said Hollins. After playing for George, when I talked to George, he was a cool coach to talk to, and he will keep it real with you. But, I think the biggest turn in the media, he will hop on his Twitter, and he just being saying some wild stuff.
However, former Seattle Sonics forward Stephen Howard shared that Karl was his least favorite coach.
“As far as George Karl is concerned, “My mom always said if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.” He is my least favorite coach, and his ego is bigger than any other coach’s that I played under,” said Howard.
“[Karl knew how to coach] but for me, when you look at a coach in regards to respecting them, do they practice what they preach? You look at how they treat everyone not just the superstars on the team. This is where you gain your respect and in that regard, he was not my most favorite coach.”
Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
He previously served as director of editorial and brand communications at PlayersTV, where he helped shape the platform’s editorial voice and brand identity. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of LandonBuford.com—an independent outlet with more than 1.6 million views and syndication from major platforms including Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports. Buford’s interviews with stars like Gary Payton, Kevin Durant, Mark Cuban and Chris Paul showcase his talent for meaningful, in-depth conversations.
His bylines have appeared in Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Heavy.com, Meta’s Bulletin and One37pm, where he has contributed exclusive interviews, breaking news and cultural insights. At Heavy.com, his work drew more than a million views in just eight months, and at One37pm, it contributed to record-breaking traffic numbers.
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