George Karl, in his 16th season in the NBA, has established himself as one of the sport’s most successful coaches. He enters the season 15th on the NBA’s all-time win list, and hasn’t posted a losing season in more than a decade.

In Milwaukee, Karl has engineered a complete turnaround in four seasons. Inheriting a Bucks team that had missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons, Karl has led the Bucks to a record of 163-133 and three playoff berths, highlighted in 2001 by the team’s first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 1986.

Karl was hired by the Bucks on August 29, 1998, and signed to a two-year extension (through 2003-04) on March 28, 2001, in the midst of the team’s run to the Central Division title.

Arriving in the lockout shortened 1998-99 season, Karl coached the Bucks to a 28-22 record and catapulted them into the postseason for the first time since 1990-91. For an encore in 1999-2000, he led the Bucks to their second consecutive playoff appearance, and became the fastest Bucks coach to reach 50 wins (89 games).

The 2000-01 season was a magical ride that included the team’s first 50-win season since 1987 and its first division championship since 1986. It concluded in Philadelphia one game shy of the Bucks first trip to the Finals since 1974.

Along the way, Karl reached several career milestones. On January 19, 2001, at Charlotte, Karl became only the 20th coach to preside over 1,000 NBA contests. Twelve days later, vs. Denver, Karl became only the 17th NBA coach to win 600 games, doing so in fewer games than all but five coaches (Jackson, Riley, Auerbach, Sloan, Nelson) in league history.

The grandest achievement, though, was a 52-30 record and a 10-8 postseason run that re-established the Bucks winning tradition, electrified the Bradley Center and excited basketball fans throughout Wisconsin.

On October 9, 2001, Karl was selected head coach of USA Basketball’s 2002 World Championship Team that competed in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis.

During the 2001-02 campaign, the Bucks scratched their way to a 41-41 mark despite their top five players appearing together in only 36 of 82 games. Along the way, Karl climbed to 15th all-time in NBA coaching wins, ending the 2001-02 season with an all-time record of 666-459 (.592). Among active coaches, only Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Jerry Sloan, Rick Adelman and Gregg Popovich have a higher winning percentage than Karl.

Prior to joining the Bucks, Karl completed one of the most successful runs in the history of basketball, a stretch of six full seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics during which his teams averaged 59 wins per season.

During Karl’s tenure, the Sonics won more games (357) than any team in the league except the Chicago Bulls. The Sonics advanced to the NBA Finals in 1996 and past the first round on four other occasions. Karl had just one losing month with Seattle and his longest losing streak was just three games.

Karl broke into coaching as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs (ABA) under head coach Doug Moe and landed his first head coaching position with the Montana Golden Nuggets of the CBA in 1980. After three successful seasons in the CBA, Karl accepted a personnel position with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was elevated to Head Coach the following season. Karl led the Cavs to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons despite a 2-19 start, and gave Boston all it could handle in the first round.

Released by Cleveland 67 games into his second season, Karl was hired by the Golden State Warriors in 1986, taking over a team that won just 30 games and had not made the playoffs in nine years. Karl won 42 games in his first year with the Warriors and led Golden State to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Karl resigned from Golden State 64 games into the 1987-88 season and went back to the CBA, where he coached the Albany Patroons into the record books (1988-89, 1990-91). The 1990-91 Patroons finished the season with a CBA league record 50-6 mark, including a perfect 28-0 at home. In all, Karl set the standard with the highest winning percentage in CBA history (.727) as his CBA teams compiled a record of 176-66 in his five CBA seasons.

After both stints at Albany, Karl coached in Spain with Real Madrid. Even overseas, Karl’s teams were spectacular, posting a winning percentage of .701. Shortly after resigning from Real Madrid in 1992, Karl joined the Sonics.

As a player, Karl averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 assists over 264 games and five seasons between the ABA and NBA. He attended the University of North Carolina, where, as a junior he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1972 NCAA Final Four, and during his sophomore season (1970-71) helped UNC to an NIT title.

Although drafted by the New York Knicks in the fourth round of the 1973 Draft, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs of the ABA. He played five seasons, the final two in the NBA after the 1976 NBA/ABA merger.

An avid golfer, Karl participates in numerous charity golf events including the annual PCC/Milwaukee Bucks Golf Tournament to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. His “Friends of Hoop” Foundation assists high school student-athletes in Milwaukee and Seattle, helping them to acquire the skills and education to compete for college scholarships. Additionally, his foundation conducts the annual George Karl Basketball Camp each summer at Whitefish Bay High School.

George is the father of two children; daughter, Kelci (6/19/79), and son, Coby (6/8/83).