Blake Griffin’s Dunks Remind George Karl of Shawn Kemp


George Karl had a front-row seat to the Shawn Kemp air show during their years together in Seattle, and the Denver Nuggets’ head coach sees similar things from Blake Griffin. From the LA Times: “I’ve talked to a couple of guys who’ve said, ‘Was Shawn as powerful?’ said Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl, who coached Kemp in Seattle, before Thursday’s game. ‘I think that’s the guy who’s closest.’ Legend had it that Kemp once dunked so hard that sparks flew off the rim. He later admitted it to be true, adding that the basket had a metal-chain net, which helped the sparks fly. Karl said seeing Griffin’s dunks reminded Karl of his own dunks — in a way. ‘This kid, he gets so high above the rim. It reminds me of when I was an athlete and I could jump and we got the 8-foot hoops,’ Karl said. ‘He does things that we used to do on 8, maybe 7-foot [hoops]. You know, throwing it down from three feet away.'”