"I let my Sports Hate go too far" - George Karl backtracks on hating Lakers & calling out LeBron James after playoffs loss

Legendary NBA coach George Karl has become famous for his eyebrow-raising takes on several NBA-related topics. Last week, Karl charged against LeBron James and the LA Lakers, claiming he wasn't a superstar anymore and Anthony Davis will never be one.

Less than a week later, Karl changed his stance on this matter, sending a message to Lakers fans on X (formerly Twitter), saying he 'let his sports hate ego go too far' when he made these comments.

"Dear Lakers Fans, I was not kind towards you this season. I let my Sports Hate go too far. I have deep respect for the Lakers and consider them the greatest sports team of the past 50 years. I’m sorry. Let’s live, learn and love together again. Ok? Coach Karl," he wrote today.

It's unclear if something else led to this apology since Karl isn't the type to change his mind that easily. In fact, when he's gone against Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins, he doesn't hold back.

This time, however, the situation was a little different.

He had a harsh message for the Lakers last week, even offering his advice for the coaching search.

"I’ll give the Lakers' coaching search committee free advice today. LeBron isn’t a superstar anymore and AD will never be one," Karl previously wrote on Twitter. "Now, be sure to use those truths when evaluating candidates and you might select someone you keep for longer than two seasons."

When talking about NBA superstars, George Karl named 10, snubbing LeBron and Anthony Edwards.

"There are less than 10 superstars in the League today. They are Joker, Luka, SGA, GA, Tatum, Joel and maybe still Steph. LeBron was and ANT ( Anthony Edwards) will be soon. That’s it," Karl tweeted last Saturday.

George Karl makes a prediction for Eastern Conference finals

As stated before, George Karl is very active on social media, especially when it comes to NBA-related topics. Following the elimination of the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Hall of Famer coach made a prediction about this year's Eastern Conference finals.

"Celtics in 6," he tweeted on Tuesday.

Boston already won the first game of their series against the Indiana Pacers, beating Tyrese Haliburton and company in overtime. The 17-time NBA champions are set to win their first title in 16 years and take revenge after losing the finals in 2022 against the Golden State Warriors.