Former NBA head coach George Karl certainly isn't a very popular figure among Los Angeles Lakers fans. Karl has taken some shots at the Lakers in recent years and the fans have responded by routinely mocking him for never winning a title. The 72-year-old recently responded to all the trolls with quite a strong message on X.
"Laker Troll fans make me laugh when they talk about me not having an NBA championship ring," Karl stated. "Hey, I’ve got an HOF ring, beat cancer’s butt 3x and have 1200 wins in the League. I’m doing ok. But congrats Trolls on your 2K championship ring last night from mama’s basement!"
I would say you're a winner if you beat cancer once, let alone thrice. Karl was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005 and fully recovered from it. Then in 2010, he was diagnosed with treatable neck and throat cancer. While he recovered, Karl lost much of his sense of taste and there was a drastic change in his voice as well.
Years later, Karl revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma of the eye too. He emerged victorious in that battle as well and is still standing to this day. While I am not the biggest fan of some of the things he has said over the years, Karl really should be an inspiration for one and all for winning these battles.
As for his coaching career, he has plenty of reasons to be proud of that as well. Sure, Karl never managed to win a title, but he went to the postseason 22 times with five different teams. He led the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 but they were up against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and lost in six games.
Karl finished his coaching career with 1,175 regular season wins, ranking sixth all-time. He won Coach of the Year in 2013 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
George Karl Is Grateful To The Lakers For Giving Opportunities To His Son And Praises Darvin Ham
I mentioned Karl has taken some shots at the Lakers over the years, but he does have some love for the team. Karl's son, Coby, played for the Lakers and coached their G League team as well and he is grateful to them for giving him those opportunities. He also sang Lakers head coach Darvin Ham's praises in a post on X.
"All joking and trolling aside, I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities my son had with the Lakers," Karl stated. "And Coach Ham is one of the most honorable, outstanding people I’ve known."
Coby himself had a battle with thyroid cancer that he won and you certainly have to admire the willpower of this family. Following his spell as head coach of the South Bay Lakers, Coby led the Delaware Blue Coats to the G League title in 2023. The same year, he finally got his first opportunity to coach in the NBA, as the Philadelphia 76ers hired him as an assistant coach.
As for Ham, Karl coached him on the Milwaukee Bucks and has always had a soft spot for him. He has regularly defended his former player, with Karl even suggesting Anthony Davis was the real problem for the Lakers, not Ham.
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