UNC Basketball Treasure Claps Back at Pundit on Social Media

Former UNC basketball guard George Karl delivered a hilarious response to criticism.

Former UNC basketball player George Karl / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

After a successful playing career under UNC basketball legend Dean Smith, George Karl enjoyed a five-year stint in the professional ranks before beginning a nearly 40-year long career as a coach.

Karl quickly became one of the NBA’s most well-known coaches, with stints at six different destinations in the league en route to coaching just one game shy of 2,000 regular season contests. The 73-year-old won 1,175 career regular season games as a coach and guided the Seattle Supersonics to the 1996 NBA Finals.

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Seattle lost that series in six games to UNC basketball great Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, whose victory kicked off their second three-peat run of championships during the Bulls' 1990s dynasty. Despite losing in that series, Karl still takes great pride in the playoff run, as evidenced by his social media post on Wednesday night.

In response to a post from FS1 analyst Nick Wright where he criticized Karl’s decision to not have Hall of Famer and defensive specialist Gary Payton match up with Jordan until the Sonics were down 3-0 in the series, the former coach went for the jugular in reference to Wright.

Karl’s response included an insult about Wright being selected last during recess at school, while also defending his decisions against one of the league’s all-time greatest teams without Nate McMillan, who Karl referred to as the Sonic’s “glue guy.” He also sarcastically offered to teach the pundit “Hoops 101” at no charge:

Nick, in 96 when u were getting picked last at recess, we were determining how to guard the GOAT and a 72 win team all without our glue guy Nate McMillan.

Call me sometime and I can teach u Hoops 101 for free. Ok? 👍 https://t.co/MU2Hxpeyaz

— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) May 15, 2024

He added this post the following day:

Is it just me or has Tom Green been gone a long time while Nick Wright is around much more.

Coincidence?? 🤔😆 pic.twitter.com/yLEkzEZiJu

— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) May 16, 2024

His defense against Nick Wright's criticism this week was not the first newsworthy social media activity from Karl, who actively speaks his mind. In addition to defending his Tar Heels and taking a jab at the occasional Duke fan post, he has previously gone viral for his arguments with former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, who Karl coached when the two were with the Denver Nuggets from 2004-11.

And he's not shy when it comes to battling the overhyping of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James:

Wait, there are actual living people who believe LeBron is a superstar still today?!

— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) May 16, 2024

The entertaining George Karl, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022, played only three seasons with the Tar Heels, 1970-73, as the NCAA hadn't yet granted freshman eligibility when he arrived in Chapel Hill in 1969. In his senior season, he averaged 17.0 points and 5.8 assists while leading UNC to a third-place finish in the NIT.

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