List of foreign NBA coaches

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), foreign coaches—also known as international coaches—are those who were born outside the United States.

This list includes all international coaches who have been assistant and/or head coach in the NBA and also includes all coaches who were born in the United States but have represented other countries in international basketball competition.

In 2000, Igor Kokoškov from Serbia became the first non-American to hold a full-time assistant coach position in the NBA.[1] In 2004, he became the first non-American assistant coach to win an NBA championship, and the first to serve on an NBA All-Star Game coaching staff.[2] In 2018, he became the first fully European head coach in the NBA.[3]

List[edit]

Note: These lists are correct through the start of the 2023–24 season.

Yrs Number of seasons coached in the NBA
* Denotes head or assistant coach who is still active in the NBA

List of head coaches[edit]

Nationality[A] Birthplace[B] Head coach Career[C] Yrs Notes Ref.
 Canada  South Africa Steve Nash 20202022 3 [4]
 Canada Jay Triano 20082011; 20172018 4 [5]
 Israel  United States David Blatt 20142016 2 Born in the United States to Jewish parents, has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship. [6]
 Italy  United States Mike D'Antoni 19981999; 20032014; 20162020 16 Born in the United States to Italian parents, has dual U.S. and Italian citizenship. [7]
 Nigeria  United States Ime Udoka* 2021–present 1 Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, has dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship. Suspended by for the 2022–23 season.
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Igor Kokoškov 2018–2019 1 Also holds U.S. citizenship as of 2010. [8]
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Darko Rajaković* 2023–present 0 [9]
 United States  Lebanon Steve Kerr* 2014–present 9 Born in Lebanon to Malcolm H. Kerr, a Lebanese-born American citizen.[10] [11]
 United States  Russian Empire[E]
(now  Ukraine)
Eddie Gottlieb 19461955 9 Born in the Russian Empire, moved to the United States as a child, became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
 United States  West Germany Kiki VanDeWeghe 2009–2010 1 Born in West Germany[F] to a Canadian father and an American mother. Holds both American and Canadian passports. [12]

List of assistant coaches[edit]

Nationality[A] Birthplace[B] Assistant coach Career[C] Yrs Notes Ref.
 Argentina Pablo Prigioni* 2018–present 5 Also holds Italian citizenship. [13]
 Australia Adam Caporn* 2022–present 1
 Australia Damian Cotter* 2020–present 3
 Australia Trevor Gleeson* 2021–present 2
 Australia Matthew Nielsen* 2021–present 2
 Belize  United States Marlon Garnett* 2015–present 8 Born in the United States to Belizean parents, has dual U.S. and Belize citizenship.
 Brazil Leandro Barbosa* 2022–present 1
 Brazil Tiago Splitter 20192023 4
 Canada Gordon Herbert 2008–2009 1
 Canada Jamaal Magloire 20132016 3
 Canada Scott Morrison* 20172021
2023–present
4
 Canada  Great Britain
 England
Roy Rana 20192022 3
 Canada Jay Triano* 20022008; 20122017; 2018–present 16 [5]
 Democratic Republic of the Congo  Zaire
(now  Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Patrick Mutombo 20122015; 20162020 9 Also holds Belgian citizenship.
 Croatia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Croatia)
Neven Spahija 20142017; 2019–2020 4
 Eswatini Jama Mahlalela* 20122018; 2020–present 9 Also holds Canadian citizenship.
 France  United States James Wade* 2023–present 0 Born in the United States, became a naturalized French citizen.
 Germany  West Germany[F]
(now  Germany)
Detlef Schrempf 20052007 2
 Georgia  United States Tyrone Ellis 2017–2018 1 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Georgian citizen.
 Great Britain
 Scotland
Alex McKechnie 20132020 7
 Great Britain
 England
 United States Nate Reinking* 2021–present 1
 Greece Fotios Katsikaris 2018–2019 1 <
 Ireland  United States Jay Larrañaga* 2012–present 11 Born in the United States to Irish parents, has dual U.S. and Irish citizenship.
 Ireland  United States Jim Moran 20152023 8 Born in the United States to Irish parents, has dual U.S. and Irish citizenship.
 Israel  United States Josh Oppenheimer* 20132017; 2020–present 8 Born in the United States, has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship.
 Italy  United States Mike D'Antoni 1997–1998; 2000–2001; 2002–2003; 2015–2016; 2020–2021 5 Born in the United States to Italian parents, has dual U.S. and Italian citizenship. [7]
 Italy  United States Anthony Dobbins* 2018–present 5 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Italian citizen.
 Italy Riccardo Fois 20192021 2
 Italy Ettore Messina 20142019 5
 Italy Sergio Scariolo 20182021 3
 Jordan  United States Maz Trakh 20102014; 20162019 7 Born in the United States, has dual U.S. and Jordanian citizenship.
 Lithuania  Soviet Union[G]
(now  Lithuania)
Darius Songaila* 2019–present 4
 Nigeria  United States Ekpe Udoh* 2023–present 0 Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, has dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship.
 Nigeria  United States Ime Udoka 20122021 9 Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, has dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship.
 North Macedonia  United States Shayne Whittington* 2023–present 0 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Macedonian citizen.
 Palestine Mahmoud Abdelfattah 2022–2023 1 Also holds U.S. citizenship.
 Philippines  United States Chip Engelland* 1999–2000; 2003–present 21 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Filipino citizen.
 Poland Marcin Gortat* 2022–present 1
 Russia  United States Becky Hammon 20142022 8 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Russian citizen.
 Senegal DeSagana Diop 20162022 6
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Aleksandar Džikić 20052007 2
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Igor Kokoškov* 20002018; 2019–2020; 2021–present 21 Also holds U.S. citizenship as of 2010. [14]
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Dejan Milojević 20212024 3 Died during the 2023–24 season.
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Darko Rajaković 20142023 9 [9]
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Ivo Simović* 2023–present 0
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Ognjen Stojaković* 2016–present 7 [15]
 Serbia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Serbia)
Nenad Trajković 2010–2011 1
 Slovakia  United States Kristi Toliver* 2018–present 5 Born in the United States, became a naturalized Slovak citizen.
 Slovenia  SFR Yugoslavia[D]
(now  Slovenia)
Marko Milič* 2022–present 1
 Spain Jordi Fernández* 2016–present 7 [16]
 Spain Sergi Oliva 20202022 2 [17]
 Turkey Erdem Can 2021–2022 1
 Turkey Mehmet Okur 2016–2017 1
 Ukraine  Soviet Union[G]
(now  Ukraine)
Vitaly Potapenko* 2010–2011;
20132017;
2018–present
10
 United States  Cuba Octavio De La Grana* 20102012
2016–present
9 Born in Cuba, moved to the United States at the age of 6, became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
 United States  Jamaica Patrick Ewing 20022017 15 Born in Jamaica, moved to the United States at the age of 11, became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
 United States  Romania Ernie Grunfeld 19891991 2 Born in Romania, moved to the United States at the age of 8, became a naturalized U.S. citizen. [18]
 United States  U.S. Virgin Islands Tim Duncan 2019–2020 1
 U.S. Virgin Islands  United States David Vanterpool 20122022 10 Born on the United States mainland, represented U.S. Virgin Islands internationally.[19]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Magic Name Igor Kokoskov Assistant Coach
  2. ^ "Jazz Announce Basketball Staff Additions". NBA.com. July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  3. ^ "Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ^ "Nets Fire Coach Steve Nash". New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Jay Triano Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "David Blatt Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Mike D'Antoni Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "Igor Kokoškov Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Darko Rajaković Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  10. ^ Silver, Michael (April 7, 1997). "Straight Shooter". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  11. ^ "Steve Kerr Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "Kiki Vandeweghe Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "Pablo Prigioni And Tiago Splitter Added To Brooklyn Nets Staff". NBA.com. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  14. ^ "Igor Kokoškov Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  15. ^ "Meet the 2016-17 Nuggets Coaches". nba.com/nuggets. NBA. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  16. ^ "Denver Nuggets add Jordi Fernandez to coaching staff". denverstiffs.com. NBA. July 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  17. ^ "Jazz add Sergi Oliva to coaching staff". nba.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ^ "David Vanterpool Profile". PBC CSKA Moscow. Retrieved October 3, 2010.