Former Sacramento Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman appeared on the latest episode of the 3s and Ones podcast, where she made a serious accusation against George Karl. Lieberman claimed Karl was a racist and believes he has played a role in DeMarcus Cousins not being in the NBA today.
“There were two times in the locker room [Cousins] tried to beat up George Karl,” Lieberman said. “And that’s why he’s not given a chance. ‘Cause that coach’s circle? It is no joke… I thought George was one of the most racist [people]. I sat in the meetings. It was unbelievable. Ask him out. Come out.”
Karl coached Cousins on the Kings during the 2015-16 season, and the two did not get along. The head coach reportedly attempted to suspend his star player less than a month into the campaign over a profanity-laced outburst, but was overruled by then-General Manager Vlade Divac.
Lieberman got to witness all of that tension first-hand, as she was an assistant coach for the Kings from 2015 to 2018. She was in the meetings Karl held and wasn’t a fan of what she heard in them.
Karl has faced accusations of being a racist in the past, and it will be interesting to see if he responds to Lieberman. It should also be pointed out that these two weren’t necessarily on the best of terms during the time they worked together.
The Kings finished that 2015-16 season with a 33-49 record, and amid the struggles and the turmoil behind the scenes, Karl found himself on the hot seat one too many times. It was reported that owner Vivek Ranadive considered parting ways and making Lieberman the interim head coach at one point. That supposedly didn’t go down well with Karl.
“[Cousins] sees the in-fighting on the coaching staff, with assistant coach Nancy Lieberman identified as a Ranadive confidante and thus unofficially exiled by Karl months ago.”
Lieberman would end up outlasting Karl, who was fired at the end of that 2015-16 season. He hasn’t coached in the NBA since, but apparently still has enough influence around the league to keep Cousins out of it. The big man last played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets in 2022.
Karl finished his NBA coaching career with a 1,175-824 record. The highlights from his time in the league include leading the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 and winning Coach of the Year in 2013.
While Karl knew how to coach, clashing with players certainly wasn’t out of character for him, having famously fallen out with Carmelo Anthony during their time together on the Nuggets. The two continued to fire shots at each other in the years that followed, but Karl did attempt to bury the hatchet in 2024. It’s unclear if Anthony had any interest in doing so.
As for Lieberman, she hasn’t coached in the NBA since leaving the Kings. She has instead been coaching the Dallas Power in the BIG 3 and led the team to the championship in 2018. Lieberman is also currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
