The 1996 NBA Finals were 28 years ago.
Only that didn’t stop Fox Sports’ Nick Wright and George Karl from engaging in a war of words regarding the former NBA head coach’s strategy in the series.
The conversation started with Wright chiming in on the sports debate topic du jour, which is Nikola Jokic’s dismantling of three-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert in the Denver Nuggets’ victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday. After a user on X noted that Gary Payton is still considered an all-time defender despite his inability to stop Michael Jordan, Wright responded by stating that The Glove actually did contain His Airness in the 1996 Finals. The only problem was his head coach didn’t let him do so until the Seattle Supersonics were already facing an 0-3 series deficit.
“In the ‘96 Finals, George Karl in one of his many feats of coaching malpractice, refused to let Payton guard MJ until the Sonics were down 0-3,” Wright wrote. “When he finally relented, MJ went 22-60 from the field, 1-9 from 3, averaged 23-5-3 on 36/11 splits & the Sonics won 2 of 3.”
It didn’t take long for Wright’s post to make it to Karl, who is surprisingly online for a 73-year-old former NBA head coach. Less surprising, however, was Karl’s reaction as he proceeded to defend his strategy from nearly three decades while also criticizing the First Things First co-host.
“Nick, in 96 when u were getting picked last at recess, we were determining how to guard the GOAT and a 72 win team all without our glue guy Nate McMillan,” the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee wrote. “Call me sometime and I can teach u Hoops 101 for free. Ok?”
https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/1790764587425354190
For what it’s worth, Wright would have been 11 years old in 1996, so the idea of him still enjoying recess at the time isn’t far fetched (although it’s unclear whether he would have been picked last among his peers). If he was, it’s a safe bet that the Kansas City native would still be carrying a grudge, considering the way he’s approached his peers — or as he calls them, his”rivals” — in the sports media industry.
As for the actual content of the argument, Karl’s reluctance to let Payton guard Jordan until the Sonics fell down 0-3 in the series has been well documented and is ultimately what led to the famous clip of M.J. laughing maniacally in The Last Dance. Karl, himself, has even admitted he wishes he would have let Payton guard Jordan earlier in the series, so it’s curious that he would take such issue with Wright’s post. Although Wright’s “one of his many feats of coaching malpractice” line likely didn’t help.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.