Sacramento Kings officially hire George Karl, fire Tyrone Corbin

The Sacramento Kings announced Thursday that they have hired George Karl to replace Tyrone Corbin as head coach of the team.

Karl, the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,131 career victories, will be the team’s third head coach this season. He is expected to coach his first game on Feb. 20 against the Boston Celtics at Sleep Train Arena.

A news conference to introduce Karl is expected early next week.

Corbin was 7-21 after taking over for Michael Malone, who was fired on Dec. 14.

According to a statement from the Kings, Corbin will continue working with the organization as an adviser to the front office.

“I have the utmost respect for Tyrone as a coach and person,” Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro said in a statement. “He’s a man of great integrity, a consummate professional that managed a difficult situation with class and professionalism. I look forward to continuing to work with Tyrone moving forward.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Sacramento Kings officially hire George Karl, fire Tyrone Corbin."