Hall of Famer George Karl: Now I'll Be In the Dean Dome Rafters

Former Tar Heel gets basketball's ultimate honor and recognition from UNC

George Karl became the twelfth former Tar Heel to be chosen for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor comes after an NBA coaching career that saw him record more than 1,000 career wins. Despite all the NBA success, Karl is first and foremost a Tar Heel.

“To be honest with you, my Carolina roots are big and important,” he said. “When I think about it, and when I was told about it, the first person I thought about was Coach (Dean) Smith.”

While receiving basketball’s highest honor would be enough for most people, Karl found it even sweeter, because it meant he would get the ultimate recognition at his alma mater as well—a banner hanging from the top of the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

“My number is not retired at North Carolina,” he said. “Now, they have a jersey (banner) with the Hall of Fame (names listed). So, now I will get into the rafters at North Carolina. So, I get two thrills. I get the Hall of Fame, and I get to hang in the Dean Dome at the same time.”

The Hall of Fame announcement was made on the same day that North Carolina would be playing Duke in the Final Four.

“The karma of now playing Duke and Carolina and the celebration of the class,” Karl said. “There’s a karma to that. I believe in karma. I think there are basketball gods up there messing with us all the time. This is a day in my life that I’m always going to remember.”