"Did pro hoops start in 1985?" - George Karl seemingly disagrees with influential players' Mt. Rushmore ft. MJ & LeBron James
Former NBA coach George Karl seemed to disagree with a fan-made Mount Rushmore list of the four most influential basketball players featuring Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. On Wednesday, Karl took to X, formerly Twitter, to apparently question the list while highlighting the exclusion of relatively earlier players on it.
"Did pro hoops start in 1985?! 🤔😆," Karl posted.
George Karl may have questioned the list given his experience in the league before and after 1985. Karl previously played for the San Antonio Spurs for five years after being drafted in the fourth round of the 1973 NBA draft.
After his playing career, Karl spent two years with the Spurs as an assistant coach before being named head coach of the Montana Golden Nuggets of the Continental Basketball Association in 1980. Karl led Montana to two CBA championships in 1981 and 1983, winning Coach of the Year in both seasons, before joining the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers as director of player acquisition.
George Karl was later promoted to head coach of the Cavaliers in 1984 and, since then, has spent over 27 years as a head coach in the NBA with six different franchises. He coached teams including the Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets before retiring after the 2015-16 season with the Sacramento Kings.
Though Karl has never won an NBA championship, he made the postseason 22 times, which included a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals with the Supersonics. He was also named the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2012-13 season with the Nuggets. The Hall of Fame coach is also one of the nine coaches in NBA history to have won 1000 games and retired one game shy of registering 2000 wins.
George Karl reacts to LeBron James news ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics
Ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, LA Lakers star and two-time Olympic gold medalist LeBron James was named Team USA's male flagbearer for the Olympic opening ceremony in France. Reacting to the news, Geroge Karl praised James' suitability for the role with a post on X.
"Well deserved! 💪," Karl wrote.
LeBron James' selection for the flagbearer role makes him the first men's basketball player to receive the honor in U.S. history. The four-time NBA champion will lead Team USA's opening ceremony march as he makes his fourth Olympic appearance in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics in the span of his 21-year basketball career.