Hall of Famer George Karl on Dean Smith, Duke Rivalry

Former Tar Heel reflects on his Hall of Fame coach on day he gets the same honor

George Karl was introduced as a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame class of 2022 on the day his alma mater, UNC, was prepared to play Duke in the Final Four.

The two events had Karl reflecting on his time at UNC.

“A meaningful part of my life was formed by UNC basketball,” he said. “I was a high school scorer. I came out of high school and came to Carolina, and Coach (Dean) Smith told me I wasn’t allowed to shoot. He wanted me to be a point guard. I learned the game under Coach Smith, Coach (Bill) Guthridge and Coach (John) Lotz.”

His time playing for Dean Smith is what convinced Karl he could eventually become a coach.

“I had back surg my freshman year at college. I had a really bad back,” he said. “I couldn’t practice for like six months. That’s when I started going to coaches meetings, film studies with the coaching staff. It was kind of the first time I thought of going into coaching. Coach Smith always pushed me. He thought I’d be good coach. That made me feel good.”

Despite all the stops in his NBA career, Karl still considers himself a Tar Heel first. “(Carolina gave me) my foundations in basketball,” he said. “Basketball is a we game, a team game. It’s a powerful game when you play as a team.”

Karl also took time to reflect on his own time in the Carolina-Duke rivalry.

“The Duke-Carolina rivalry is a blessing in my life,” he said. “Today’s game is very meaningful to us. It really is kind of amazing they’ve never been in a NCAA game before. We did beat them in the NIT in 70-71 in the semis. That was the year we beat them four times in one year.”