A bitter war of words has erupted between iconic figures from the Denver Nuggets’ past.
There have been rumors of George Karl never getting along with Carmelo Anthony during their time together in Denver but those rumors resurfaced recently when Anthony said that the former head coach called him “overrated” when they first met.
Karl responded on social media and since then other people have chimed in.
Former NBA great Kenyon Martin made his opinion on the matter known, according to a quote from Ball Don’t Lie.
While appearing on the “Gil’s Arena” show, Martin told Karl: “You handicapped us. If we had a different coach, we’d win the championship.”
Kenyon Martin WENT OFF on his former coach after George Karl's comments on Melo 😳
(via @GilsArenaShow) pic.twitter.com/l80U0HcebK
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 26, 2024
On his podcast, Anthony claimed that when he was first introduced to Karl, the coach told him that he was “overrated.”
Karl then hopped online to defend himself, saying that he wanted to move forward from the past.
However, he also added that Anthony was in fact overrated at the time, which only complicated matters.
Karl was the head coach of the Nuggets from 2004 to 2013 and earned a 423-257 record during that time.
It was an exciting era for the Nuggets, especially with Anthony front-and-center in the beginning.
During his rookie season, Anthony posted 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and was very close to winning Rookie of the Year over LeBron James.
The Nuggets reached the playoffs multiple times during the Anthony-Karl era but they weren’t able to ever truly capitalize on all the team’s talent.
Ultimately, Anthony was traded away to the New York Knicks.
After coaching the Nuggets, Karl spent two years leading the Sacramento Kings before retiring in 2016.
Since then, he has publicly commented on a few NBA matters but none have been as controversial as the dispute he has found himself in now.
NEXT: Nikola Jokic Made NBA History On Thursday Night