George Karl is one of the most decorated NBA coaches of all time. His fingerprints are all over modern basketball, having coached various players over a lengthy career in the NBA. He led the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 where they were beaten by the Chicago Bulls. Karl also had stints as the coach of the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Sacramento Kings.
Karl hasn’t coached a game since 2016 and seemingly aged out of the league. However, he is still active in sharing his thoughts about modern NBA players and rarely holds back from speaking his mind. His feud with Carmelo Anthony over their time together in Denver was proof.
In his book, ‘Furious George’, Karl discusses the temptation of women that drags NBA players down.
Via Basketball Network:
“The addiction we see all the time in the NBA is not illegal, thank God. Lots of guys get hooked on women. The availability of good-looking women is surprising. Temptation is everywhere. Players are celebrities. They’re invited to every party and treated like kings when they arrive. On the road, you see party girls trolling in the hotel lobby, outside the locker room—everywhere. They’re calculating opportunists and an NBA player is obviously a catch.”
Karl would also narrate a story about him asking Shawn Kemp to get a vasectomy due to the illegitimate children he had. He wanted his players to avoid the drama of off-court relationships, as it hampered his players’ performance on the court.
“But I’m not against sex for the single guys: how could I be? In fact, I’m fine with them looking for euphoria before the game. There are obvious benefits to a good mood. On the other hand, having girls in every town undermines any chance at your supposedly real relationship back home. Drama screws you up and I don’t want a screwed-up player on my team.”
Karl’s comments have often been criticized for various reasons, including sometimes being out of touch. While the way he has phrased this makes it seem non-PC, he is trying to give young players financial advice, as these situations can become a lot worse. Just ask P.J. Washington.
