All Around the World: Coby Karl's Coaching Journey
Learn about current 76ers assistant coach Coby Karl about his coaching career, philosophy, and influence from his father George Karl.
Coby Karl is currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and the son of the longtime NBA head coach George Karl. Coach Karl has previously served as the head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats, Los Angeles D-Fenders/South Bay Lakers and was an assistant coach for the Westchester Knicks.
In this article, you’ll learn about Coach Karl’s coaching career and his journey around international basketball and several stops around the NBA’s D-League.
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Before Coaching
Coby Karl was born on June 8, 1983, in Great Falls, Montana, his father being George Karl, a longtime NBA coach known for his head coaching stints with the Seattle SuperSonics and the Denver Nuggets. Coby’s playing career started at Homestead High School, where he became an All-Suburban selection, a first team All-Conference selection, and an All-State Honorable Mention selection as a senior. He graduated from High school in 2002.
Afterwards, he attended Boise State University and played for their basketball team, the Broncos. He was named First Team All-WAC honors in his senior year in 2007.
Karl had debated on entering the 2006 NBA draft or returning to college for one more year, he ultimately remained with Boise state for his senior year. He entered the 2007 NBA draft, although he wasn’t drafted, he was signed to the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
He only played 37 seconds in his NBA debut on October 30, 2007, against the Houston Rockets. He was then assigned to their D-League affiliate the “Los Angeles D-Fenders”. Karl joined Lakers guard Jordan Farmar as the only other player in league history to play in the D-League and NBA in the same day.
Later that season, the Los Angeles Lakers played the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Coby and his father George Karl became the first father and son to ever oppose each other in the NBA playoffs.
After being waived by the Lakers, Karl went to play for the Idaho Stampede (Now known as the Salt Lake City Stars, G-League affiliate of the Utah Jazz) and the Joventut Badalona.
Throughout his playing career, he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Idaho Stampede, Golden State Warriors, Idaho Stampede, Granada, Olimpia Milano, Sutor Montegranaro, Idaho Stampede, Reggiana, Lugwigsburg, and the Reno Bighorns before ending his playing career in 2015.
Westchester Knicks (2015-2016)
Coach Karl’s first coaching job was as an assistant coach under Mike Miller (not to be confused with the former Grizzlies/Miami Heat player) with the Westchester Knicks, the New York Knicks’s D-League affiliate.
Los Angeles D-Fenders / South Bay Lakers (2016-2021)
Coach Karl became the head coach of the “Los Angeles D-Fenders” of the D-League, which is now known as the “South Bay Lakers” in the G-League. He finished with a overall head coaching record of 83-67, the most wins in team history.
Karl notably coached David Nwaba, Andre Ingram, Gary Payton II, Ivica Zubac, Alex Caruso, Svi Mykhailiuk, Moritz Wagner, Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Delaware Blue Coats (2021-2023)
Coach Karl was hired as the head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers G-League affiliate. He had an overall head coaching record of 42-22 in 2 seasons with the team.
Karl notably coached Ron Artest III, Shaquille Harrison, Haywood Highsmith, Patrick McCaw, Jaden Springer, Paul Reed, Charles Bassey, and Mac McClung.
Philadelphia 76ers (2023-)
In 2023, Coach Karl was promoted to assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers under new head coach Nick Nurse.
Karl has coached Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Cameron Payne, Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Kyle Lowry, and Jared McCain so far in his current 76ers tenure.
Coaching Philosophy
In this episode of the “Basketball Podcast” by Chris Oliver, Coach Karl discusses his life in a coaching household under George Karl and his offensive philosophies such as:
Concept of Spacing
Decision Making
Visual Cue Game
Ball Screens
The Domino Effect
Choosing Actions
Pistol
And much more from Coach Karl, give the video a watch and learn about his coaching philosophy!
Coby Karl grew up around basketball and has spent majority of his career and life around basketball, learning from one of the best in George Karl, Coby continues to make an influence on the younger generation in the NBA.