A life full of lessons for a coach’s son

Trying to make the Lakers as an undrafted rookie out of Boise State is one definition of pressure, although it tends to be less daunting when stacked up next to Coby Karl’s life experiences off the court.

Being treated for cancer, twice, by age 24 has a way of prioritizing what’s important in life.

Karl, trying to earn the 15th and final spot on the Lakers’ roster, had led a charmed existence as the son of Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl, receiving an early education in basketball and getting the opportunity to scrimmage with NBA players during slow summer days as a high schooler in Wisconsin. (The elder Karl coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 1998 to 2003.)

Then came the words that interrupted his junior season at Boise State. A lump that appeared in his neck was diagnosed as papillary carcinoma.

“When I heard my doctor say it was cancer, I kind of froze,” Karl said.

It was treatable, and Karl underwent surgery in March 2006 to have his thyroid gland removed.

He did not tell his Boise State teammates until a few days before the surgery because he did not want them distracted as they approached postseason play. He told them the day their season ended after losing to Louisiana Tech in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

“The fear was I wasn’t going to be able to play any more,” he said. “It was kind of a selfish fear because in the reality of things, it’s your life that you could lose. My doctor explained to me that’s it’s very curable and there’s not too much to worry about, although it was still cancer.”

After the surgery, he underwent a two-day treatment in which he took radioactive iodine pills and had to quarantine himself so that family and friends did not get any radioactive side effects.

It was difficult, it was trying, it was exhausting. Then it came back.

In December 2006, Karl’s doctor said a regular check-up needed to be followed by further testing because of an irregularity in some of Karl’s lab results.

The disease had returned, it turned out. Karl had to have cancerous lymph nodes removed, which was done the day of the NCAA championship game in April.

“There was always a feeling it was still there,” he said. “I knew there was a chance it was still in my body. It’s a tough disease to get rid of.”

Karl still lives with its consequences. He has monthly check-ups and takes a pill every morning an hour before breakfast to ensure that his energy level stays elevated despite his lack of a thyroid gland.

In the meantime, much like Ian Johnson did for the Boise State football team last January, Karl is living a storybook athletic life.

After not being taken with any of the 60 picks in the 2007 draft, he played well enough for the Lakers’ summer-league team to receive a training-camp invite. He has already been singled out by Coach Phil Jackson as one of the Lakers’ top shooters.

He has decent height for a shooting guard -- 6 feet 5 -- but it remains to be seen if a sweet stroke will be enough to make the team.

“He’s shown that he can play this game,” Jackson said. “Whether he can play individual defense or not, that’s going to be difficult, but that’s tough for all rookies coming into this game because they get picked on and exposed. He’s got to have something more than just a shot. He’s got to be capable of playing the rest of the game too, offensively.”

Karl hopes he gets the nod.

“I may not have the athletic ability or some of the skills that scouts or teams are looking for, but I know how to be a 15th guy, I know how to be a good teammate, I know how to be responsible,” Karl said. “Those are the things that I think are intangibles that are lost in this day. Those are where I’m trying to fill the void.”

Five players sat out practice Sunday -- Kobe Bryant (knee), Maurice Evans (hamstring), Chris Mihm (ankle), Lamar Odom (shoulder) and Kwame Brown (ankle). Ronny Turiaf left practice after sustaining a strained neck. . . . The Lakers play the final six games of their exhibition season in a nine-day stretch that begins Thursday in Bakersfield against Seattle.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com