Tar Heel royalty will be on full display at this year’s Naismith Hall of Fame induction ceremony. UNC alumnus and former NBA head coach George Karl is among the Hall’s Class of 2022, and Karl will have some special guests present him at the ceremony: former UNC head coach Roy Williams (a part of the Hall’s Class of 2007) and former Tar Heel star Bobby Jones (Class of 2019).
Karl played at Carolina under head coach Dean Smith from 1970 through 1973, and was named second team All-ACC twice and first team All-ACC his senior year. He and Jones were teammates in 1971-72 and 1972-73. Karl was eventually drafted by the New York Knicks, but made his mark on the NBA as a longtime head coach.
Karl spent time as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings. His most successful stint came in Seattle, when he led the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996. There, Karl’s Seattle team fought hard against the legendary 72-10 Chicago Bulls (led by their own UNC Hall of Famer), but fell in six games.
Karl is the 12th UNC alumnus to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, and joins an elite list of honorees inducted as coaches: Smith, Williams, Frank McGuire, Larry Brown and Ben Carnevale.
At the induction ceremony, Williams, Jones and former Sonics player Gary Payton will each accompany Karl up to the stage, where he will address the crowd. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 10.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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