© Kirby Lee | 2020 Feb 23
George Karl has had issues with former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson for years. Apparently, he’s still harboring them.
Karl lashed out at Jackson via Twitter on Thursday night over what he felt were perceived slights made by Jackson during the Lakers-Blazers telecast. Jackson made a comment that there should be a “shared responsibility” for anyone who “allowed” Carmelo Anthony to play bad defense in the past. Karl, Anthony’s former coach in Denver, apparently thought this was a comment directed towards him, and proceeded to go scorched Earth on Jackson.
“I heard @MarkJackson13 is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast,” Karl wrote.
“Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left?”
I heard @MarkJackson13 is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast.
Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left?
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) August 21, 2020
Jackson responded saying that he wasn’t referring to Karl, but also made sure to point out that he never lost to Karl as a player or a coach.
Wasn’t even thinking of u!
Btw I never lost to u in the playoffs as a Player or as a Coach! God Bless u and urs! https://t.co/MdIPN7Z26H— Mark Jackson (@MarkJackson13) August 21, 2020
The history between these two stems back to a 2013 series between the Warriors and Nuggets, where Karl believes Jackson used Andre Iguodala, then a member of the Nuggets, as a “mole.”
“I thought Mark had a lot of tricks in that series that were bush- . . . I don’t know. I don’t know what they were. Almost high-schoolish. They were beneath the NBA level. And they might have worked. They might have motivated his young team in a good way. You know, he’d announce a starting lineup and start another guy. C’mon, man. You think we’re not ready for that?”
