Coby Karl

Coby Karl
Coby Karl
Born	June 8, 1983 (age 43); Mequon, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Basketball player, coach
Years active	2007–2015 (player), 2015–present (coach)
Known for	Former NBA player; assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers

Coby Joseph Karl (born June 8, 1983) is a former American professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of NBA head coach George Karl.

High school career

Karl attended Homestead High School located in Mequon, Wisconsin, where he earned varsity letters in basketball. As a senior, he received All-Suburban honors, was named to the first team All-Conference, and earned an All-State Honorable Mention. He completed his high school education in 2002.

College career

Karl played collegiate basketball at Boise State, where he majored in Mass Communications. As a junior shooting guard, he led the team with averages of 17.2 points and 4.0 assists per game. In his senior year, he posted averages of 14.8 points and 4.0 assists, securing First Team All-WAC recognition in 2007.

After his junior year, Karl contemplated entering the 2006 NBA draft and participated in multiple pre-draft workouts but ultimately decided to return for his final collegiate season.

Professional career

Although undrafted, Karl earned a place on the Los Angeles Lakers' 15-man roster as a free agent, making his NBA debut on October 30, 2007. During that season, he also played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League and notably became one of the rare players to compete in both D-League and NBA games on the same day in February 2008. That year, Karl was recalled from the D-Fenders three times—the maximum permitted.

In April 2008, Karl and his father made NBA history as the first father-son pair to compete against each other in the playoffs—Karl as a Lakers reserve and his father coaching the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers waived him in October 2008.

In January 2009, Karl signed with Joventut Badalona of Spain's Liga ACB. Later that year, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers' training camp and made their opening day roster but was waived in January 2010.

Karl then signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors in January 2010 before returning to the NBA D-League with the Idaho Stampede. In April 2010, he signed with the Denver Nuggets but was released in August.

In September 2010, Karl returned to Spain to play for CB Granada. Following Granada’s relegation, he moved to Italy’s Armani Jeans Milano in May 2011 and later signed with Fabi Shoes Montegranaro of Lega Basket Serie A within the same year.

Karl rejoined the Idaho Stampede in October 2012. In July 2013, he signed with Italy’s Pallacanestro Reggiana but departed in December to join Germany’s MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. In March 2015, he left Ludwigsburg to sign with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League and made his debut shortly thereafter. Karl announced his retirement on August 21, 2015.

Coaching career

On October 27, 2015, Karl was appointed assistant coach for the Westchester Knicks, the NBA Development League affiliate of the New York Knicks. During his single season there, Westchester improved their record from 10–40 in 2014–15 to 28–22 in 2015–16.

Karl accepted his first head coaching position on September 12, 2016, leading the Los Angeles D-Fenders—the Lakers’ NBA D-League affiliate. He was not retained for the following season before 2021–22.

On September 28, 2021, Karl was named head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats. He guided the Blue Coats to capture the NBA G League championship on April 7, 2023.

Karl joined the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach on September 5, 2023. The partnership concluded on May 15, 2025.

Thyroid cancer

In January 2023, Karl received radioactive iodine therapy to treat papillary carcinoma, a form of thyroid cancer known for its favorable prognosis. Following the completion of his senior year, he underwent surgery aimed at excising the malignant cells. During the extensive seven-hour operation, his father took a temporary leave from his role with the Nuggets to provide support.

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 17 || 0 || 4.2 || .346 || .308 || .800 || .8 || .5 || .2 || .1 || 1.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland | 3 || 0 || 1.7 || – || – || – || .7 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Golden State | 4 || 1 || 27.0 || .344 || .182 || .667 || 4.0 || 3.8 || .8 || .3 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 24 || 1 || 7.6 || .345 || .250 || .750 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .3 || .1 || 2.4

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2008 | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 1 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .0

External links