George Karl

In the simplest of terms and in the most straightforward of language, the game of basketball lives in George Karl. Karl played three seasons of basketball under legendary coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina, where he helped the Tar Heels to an NIT championship in 1970 and a Final Four appearance in 1972. Winning was the only way at Carolina, and Karl took that message with him at every coaching stop he made over the next 40 years. From the CBA’s Albany Patroons to Real Madrid in Spain, along with NBA head jobs in Seattle, Denver, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Golden State, and Cleveland, Karl found a way to win. The 2013 NBA Coach of the Year and three-time CBA Coach of the Year won 1,175 games in the NBA, including a six-year span in Seattle where his Supersonics won at least 55 regular season games each season. The 1995-96 Sonics won 64 games, finished first in the Pacific Division, and made the NBA Finals. Karl led five different teams to the NBA postseason on 22 occasions.