It's safe to say that time hasn't healed old wounds between Carmelo Anthony and George Karl.
On the latest episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony recalled the moment he knew things weren't going to work out with him and Karl was on the "first day he got the job" as head coach of the Denver Nuggets:
"He got the job a couple days before we played [the] Milwaukee Bucks so the whole thing was I'm not coaching no game. My first game I want to be against the Milwaukee Bucks…I really don't know the game when he came to the team. I'm 21 now. All I know is I got a big name coach coming. George Karl, coached Milwaukee, coached Seattle…you know all of that. We get to Milwaukee after shoot around [he] called me to his room and he tell me, hey man I think you [are] overrated."
Karl responded to Anthony's criticism on X, writing "u were overrated".
George Karl @CoachKarl22Hey <a href="">@carmeloanthony</a> let's not do this. You're telling stories that are 20 years old. Let's move fwd 💪<br><br>And u were overrated and u wish your game was as efficient as Detlef's. 😆<br><br> <a href="">
Karl did include a laughing emoji after his comment about Anthony being overrated and not as efficient as Detlef Schrempf, so it's certainly possible he was trying to make a joke.
But there is a history between these two that leaves a lot of things open to interpretation. In an excerpt from his 2016 memoir published by David Marchese of The Intelligencer, Karl started out by calling Anthony "the best offensive player I've ever coached" before lamenting there were "too many times" when things happening "off the court was more important than what was happening on the court."
Karl was also critical of comments Anthony made about the Nuggets being "petty" when they gave the No. 15 to Nikola Jokić, but he also praised the 10-time All-Star for "saving pro hoops in Denver."
George Karl @CoachKarl22Melo saved pro hoops in Denver. And he shouldn't have demanded a trade.<br><br>But the Nuggets can be petty. And multiple number 15s can hang in the Denver rafters. Happens all the time. <br><br>And all those things can be true at once!! Life isn't black and white. <a href="">
The Nuggets hired Karl as their head coach before the 2004-05 season going into Anthony's second year in the NBA. The pairing worked because Denver made the postseason in six consecutive seasons, including advancing to the Western Conference Finals in the 2008-09 campaign.
After Anthony requested a trade before the 2010-11 season, the Nuggets eventually dealt him to the New York Knicks midway through the year.
Karl remained with the Nuggets through the 2012-13 season. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for that season after leading the team to a 57-25 record, but he was fired in June 2013.
Anthony played 11 more seasons after being traded by the Nuggets. He had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in May 2023.
