Former Nuggets coach George Karl interested in returning to NBA

The former coach has expressed interest in returning to the NBA and praised the Orlando Magic.

Longtime NBA head coach George Karl said on Friday that he was still interested in returning to the league as a coach and offered praise to the Orlando Magic.

Karl, who coached in the NBA for 25 years, most recently spent nine seasons with the Denver Nuggets. He was fired after the 2012-2013 season despite leading the team to a 57-25 record and earning NBA coach of the year honors.

He also held coaching positions with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

I wanted to address everyone's questions & comments in regards to my coaching career. Here is my official statement. pic.twitter.com/i4rN5wjoRh

— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) February 6, 2015

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Karl won 1,131 games during his time in the NBA, the sixth most in league, and is one of only eight coaches in NBA history to win more than 1,000 games. He left the league in 2013 with a career .599 winning percentage.

He was mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching position with the Sacramento Kings after the team fired coach Michael Malone in December. Though that job went to Kings assistant coach Tyrone Corbin, Karl said in January he continued to be interested in returning to the league as a coach.

The Magic, currently 15-37, fired head coach Jacque Vaughn on Thursday after struggling throughout the season. His exit comes as the team is mired in a 10-game losing streak.

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Orlando is in last place in the Southeast division and third from last in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.

According to SB Nation, there has been no official link between Orlando and Karl other than the coach's tweet.

- Christopher Woody