Confirmed: Former Kings coach George Karl trolls team with April Fools’ Day prank
Former Kings coach George Karl said he is finalizing a deal to return to the organization in a front-office role and plans to bring DeMarcus Cousins with him when he comes back to Sacramento.
Karl made the surprising announcement Wednesday on Twitter, but he is full of baloney, a well-placed league source told The Sacramento Bee. The source declined to comment on the purported deal except to point out that Karl picked April Fools’ Day to reveal the “Big news!”
“I’ve been in talks with the @SacramentoKings about a front office role and associate coaching position!” Karl tweeted. “We have worked out a deal that will be announced tomorrow. @boogiecousins will be re-joining me and the team at the same time! Let’s go Kings!”
Some Twitter users quickly picked up on the ruse, expressing their disbelief with comments, emojis and memes, but others fell for the gag.
“Way to go, coach!” one user replied. “Congrats!”
“Great news Coach!” another user wrote. “And glad to see Boogie is back with the Kings.”
Some were amused. Others weren’t as receptive to the idea of a reunion.
“This gave me a cold sweat and flashbacks,” one Kings fans said.
Karl posted a 1,175-824 record in 27 seasons as a head coach, becoming one of only nine coaches in NBA history to win more than 1,000 games, but he enjoyed little success in Sacramento. He famously clashed with Cousins while posting a 44-68 record in two seasons with the Kings.
One commenter got a reply from Karl.
“Hilarious, but also you were a huge failure here,” Andrew Davidson said.
“Thanks Andrew,” Karl replied. “The time in Sacramento was disappointing for sure. Great city though and I’m a fan of the team these days!”
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Confirmed: Former Kings coach George Karl trolls team with April Fools’ Day prank."
