Kenyon Martin Once Nearly Tried to Choke George Karl

If it weren't for Latrell Sprewell, Kenyon Martin would've been the first NBA player to go Latrell Sprewell on a coach.

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Kenyon Martin revealed in an interview on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Friday that he once nearly went Latrell Sprewell on George Karl. Martin recalls meeting with Karl towards the end of 2005-06 campaign with the Denver Nuggets to discuss the possibility of sitting out the last few games of the season in order to prepare him for the playoffs since he was dealing with knee issues.  

After both sides reached an agreement to sit out the remainder of the season, Martin approached Karl about playing in Game 1 of the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Kenyon was told that the head coach was going to keep Francisco Elson as the starter instead.

Following an 89-87 loss to the Clippers, Martin thought he was going back into the lineup, but Elson was starting again in Game 2, and Kenyon was pissed. "I play seven minutes in the first half, in the second game, so I'm hot, I'm furious," Martin said. "So, at halftime, I let him have it. I told him how I felt about him, I challenged him, and had Latrell Sprewell not ever done what he did to P.J. Carlesimo, I probably would've been the first." 

Since Karl's comments about Martin, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Smith in his upcoming memoir Furious George, Kenyon has been quite vocal about his feelings towards his former head coach. It appears that their feud shows no signs of slowing down. 

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