George Karl is the talk of the town but for all bad reasons as former Sacramento Kings assistant coach Nancy Liberman revealed Karl's racist tendencies. Former NBA Player Etan Thomas has added his personal experience to the conversation.
Etan Thomas supports George Karl's racism allegations
In an Instagram post, Thomas recollected a disturbing remark Karl made to the late Robert "Tractor" Traylor:
“Where’s the fat Black kid? Is he somewhere eating some chicken? Is he somewhere fat and greasy? Get his fat butt out here so he can run some of that chicken grease off
“I heard George Karl say that to Tractor Traylor with my own two ears,” Thomas’ Instagram graphic read.
Thomas doubled down in his caption, claiming that Karl's bad repute among former players and staff is well justified.
“George Karl @coachkarl22is exactly who multiple former players always said he was,” Thomas captioned her Instagram Post.
Despite his stature of one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of the NBA, repeatedly, Karl has faced criticism from former players. Interestingly, Carmelo Anthony has publicly called out Karl's questionable conduct.
In a podcast appearance, Nancy Liberman revealed that DeMarcus Cousins had wanted to fight Karl on multiple instances, giving details from her time as part of Karl's coaching staff with the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
In the same conversation about Cousins and Karl's restrained relationship, Liberman claimed that the coach was one of the most racist people she interacted with.
“There were two times in the locker room [Cousins] tried to beat up George Karl," Lieberman said. "And that's why he's not given a chance. 'Cause that coach's circle? It is no joke. ... I thought George was one of the most racist [people]. I sat in the meetings. It was unbelievable. Ask him out. Come out."
Cousins has praised Karl's basketball knowledge, but he says that the rest of the package is not worth it.
“Incredible mind, he’s just the worst coach,” Cousins said on All The Smoke podcast five years ago. “It’s just everything that comes with it.”
Karl's tenure with the Kings lasted only for two seasons before he was dismissed. He has since retired from coaching.