Furious George (book)

Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection is an autobiography by former professional basketball coach and former player George Karl, and co-author Curt Sampson. It is Karl's debut as an author.[2]

Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection
AuthorGeorge Karl, Curt Sampson
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAutobiography
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherHarperCollins[1]
Publication date
January 10, 2017
Media typeHardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook
Pages256
ISBN978-0-06-236779-2

Synopsis

Karl's memoir spans his career playing and coaching in the NBA, including his time as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets, but does not include his last two years as head coach of the Sacramento Kings.[3] Early versions of the manuscript did include critical commentary of Karl's time in Sacramento, but those pages were not authorized for inclusion in the book due to Karl's settlement agreement with the Kings.[4] The book includes two chapters dedicated to Karl's Seattle years, with particular emphasis on his relationship with Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and General Manager Wally Walker.[5] Karl also explains how he almost traded Shawn Kemp for Scottie Pippen in 1994, but was unable to execute the trade due to salary cap reasons.[6][7]

Furious George includes anecdotes from dozens of NBA players and coaches including Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and others.[8]

Release and reception

Furious George was scheduled for its release on January 10, 2017, but excerpts from the book, which caused significant controversy among media members and former NBA players, leaked two weeks before that publication.[9] The controversy stemmed from Karl's remarks about fatherhood among some NBA players, specifically his claims that Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin “carried two big burdens” because they had “all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man.”[10][11] Karl was also critical of J.R. Smith, claiming he had "a huge sense of entitlement, a distracting posse, his eye always on the next contract and some really unbelievable shot selection."[12] Howard Bryant was critical of Karl's comments in the book and wrote, "Karl...offers a glimpse into the minds of the coaches who are intolerant of players, their upbringing and, obviously, their power. If that is the father figure, maybe it's better not to have one."[13]

In the book, Karl also claimed that players used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.[14][15] Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver later responded to Karl's allegations saying, "I have no reason to believe whatsoever that we have an issue, either as the result of testing or as the result of other information that comes to the league office."[16][17]

Karl has expressed regret for how the controversial sections of the book were written and apologized for his comments in Furious George.[18][19] He added that he "didn't write anything in the book that he hadn't said to players' faces."[20]

Basketball Insiders described the memoir as "outspoken and raw."[21] The Denver Post reviewed the book favorably, adding, "George is furious, but he’s just as introspective."[22] One review of Furious George noted that while Karl was critical of several former players and others he had crossed paths with, he was also critical of himself, stating, "The most compelling part of the book is when Karl tackles Karl. He is unsparing here, too."[23]

The book has also been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and others.[24][25][26]

References
  1. Jason Concepcionn (9 January 2017). "Aging Ungracefully in the NBA". The Ringer. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  2. Will Leitch (12 January 2017). "George Karl: A Belittling, Berating Brawler". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. Gary D'Amato (24 January 2017). "D'Amato: George Karl still stirring the pot". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  4. Mark J. Spears and Marc Stein (24 January 2017). "Sources: Sacramento Kings references removed from George Karl's forthcoming book". ESPN. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  5. Larry Stone (2 January 2017). "George Karl invents new term, chaortic, to describe his time in Seattle". Seattle Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  6. Sam Smith (1 July 1994). "Jordan Pushes Trade". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. Chris Yuscavage (28 December 2016). "George Karl Confirms He Spoke With Michael Jordan About Possibly Trading Shawn Kemp for Scottie Pippen". Complex. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  8. David Marchese (28 December 2016). "Former Coach George Karl on NBA Conspiracies, Phil Jackson, and Carmelo". New York Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  9. Jon Wertheim (11 January 2017). "George Karl Q&A: 'This Isn't What I Wanted'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  10. AJ Neuharth-Keusch (10 January 2017). "George Karl says he regrets controversial 'fatherhood' comments". USA Today. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. Mike Vorkunov (18 January 2017). "Derrick Rose Leads Knicks' Win; Carmelo Anthony Says Focus Is on 'Playing Ball'". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  12. Timothy Rapp (22 December 2016). "George Karl Blasts Carmelo Anthony in Upcoming Book 'Furious George'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  13. Howard Bryant (26 January 2017). "George Karl and the cult of coach". ESPN the Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  14. Dan Feldman (26 December 2016). "George Karl: NBA has steroid issue". NBC Sports. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  15. Brett Bodner (27 December 2016). "George Karl accuses NBA stars of steroid abuse in new book — 'It's obvious some of our players are doping". New York Daily News. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  16. "Adam Silver addresses George Karl's suggestion of PED use in the NBA". USA Today. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  17. Alec Nathan (13 January 2017). "Adam Silver Responds to George Karl's Comments on PED Use in NBA". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  18. Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt (10 January 2017). "George Karl answers criticism to his book". USA Today. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  19. "George Karl Regrets 'Furious George' Statements". CBS Sports. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  20. Arnie Stapleton (20 January 2017). "NBA: George Karl doesn't hold back in first book". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  21. Lang Greene (23 January 2017). "NBA PM: George Karl Dishes on Carmelo, MVP Race And More". Basketball Insiders. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  22. Christopher Dempsey (31 December 2016). "Dempsey: "Furious George" is controversial, but is much more as well". The Denver Post. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  23. Ailene Voisin (24 December 2016). "George Karl not making friends with 'Furious George'". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  24. Mike Vorkunov (22 December 2016). "For Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, a Bad Day Continues Into Night". New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  25. "George Karl continues trashing NBA players — this time Damian Lillard — while promoting his book". Los Angeles Times. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  26. Scott Rafferty (23 December 2016). "Kenyon Martin Lashes Out at George Karl's Comments About Not Having a Father". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
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