Former NBA head coach George Karl stirred up the Twitter hornets nest Tuesday night with a tweet criticizing Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.
Karl tweeted, “It’s a Trae Young vs a Nikola Jokic League. Me first vs We first.”
The comparison apparently alludes to Young as a selfish player, while idealizing the Denver Nuggets star Jokic is a team-first player.
It’s a Trae Young vs a Nikola Jokic League. Me first vs We first.
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) February 22, 2023
Karl’s take did not sit well with many NBA fans on Twitter.
This is prime example why we need fresh coaching perspectives. The 1990s are over so are your bad takes.
— NateDog (@NateRuns5) February 22, 2023
Trae was better last year, and 2nd ever in HISTORY to lead the league in Total Pts and Assistas since Tiny Archibald. pic.twitter.com/pwAbfuCpJT
— Objective (@AllAboutRings8) February 22, 2023
Moronic take
— Jordan Lovelace (@jblovelace93) February 22, 2023
10 assist a game for his whole career is me first. His team can’t score so he has to score
— himmie (@himmiesteer) February 22, 2023
Some fans found it odd that Karl would paint Young as a “me first” player when he’s averaging a career-high 10.3 points per game. Yet his tweet collected hundreds of likes in the first hour after posting.
This is 🔥🔥Spicy af and I’m here for it Coach K
— Creigy (@CreepyCreig) February 22, 2023
Karl’s tweet was likely prompted by the Hawks’ decision Tuesday to fire head coach Nate McMillan after a 29-30 start. Young and McMillan had clashed in the past.
The 71-year-old Karl, who played five seasons in the NBA, went on to coach 27 seasons in the NBA. His 1,175 victories rank sixth on the career list. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
