George Karl (@CoachKarl22) is a basketball lifer. He learned his basketball playing and coaching from Dean Smith, the late, great University of North Carolina coach and PCA National Advisory Board Member. Karl became just the seventh coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career wins. He earned the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2013 and has served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Albany Patroons (CBA), Real Madrid (EuroLeague), Seattle SuperSonics (which he led to the NBA Finals), Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.

Here, Karl shares his appreciation for players who bring hustle and energy to their craft. While many observers may relegate those traits to a place below sheer ability, Karl views them as talents in their own right that maybe as few as 20 players in the NBA fully possess.

His appreciation for these traits stems from his upbringing, during which his father, although un-versed in sports, insisted Karl cultivate, along with respect and gratitude for coaching and for sport itself.