Kings' George Karl surpasses legendary Phil Jackson on all-time list
It hasn't been an easy season for George Karl as head coach of the Sacramento Kings. There have been trade rumors, hot seat whispers and tensions in the locker room. Yet all of that seems to have settled down of late, with the Kings getting into a rhythm and pushing toward the bottom of the playoff pack in the Western Conference.
And with a win over the Thunder on Monday night -- the Kings' first ever in Oklahoma City -- Karl surpassed Phil Jackson on the NBA's all-time list for regular-season wins by a head coach with 1,156:
With the win, @CoachKarl22 surpasses Phil Jackson for 5th on the all-time coaching wins list! pic.twitter.com/OVXrZANJvj
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 5, 2016
Karl is 179 wins behind Don Nelson for first on the all-time list. To honor Karl, the NBA released an all-access compilation of some of the most memorable moments in his career:
Now, of course, Karl's surpassing Jackson doesn't tell the whole story. The Zen Master has 11 NBA titles as a coach (along with two more as a player), and Karl has just one Finals appearance to his credit -- a series Karl's Sonics lost to Jackson's Bulls. In total, Jackson (229) has Karl (80) beat by 149 playoff wins.
Looking forward, if we conservatively estimate that the Kings are a .500 team from this point forward, that would put Karl at 1,180 wins after this season. Another season of .500 ball would bring him to 1,221 wins, tying him with Jerry Sloan for third on the list.
Assuming, of course, that the Kings don't make a coaching change before then. And that's far from guaranteed.
