NBA career
While coaching high school basketball, Ociepka served as a part-time volunteer scout for the Detroit Pistons in the 1980s.
He was first hired as an assistant coach in January 1989 for the Indiana Pacers. [5] Ociepka has also served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers from 1993 to 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers from 1996 to 1997, the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1999 to 2001, the Detroit Pistons from 1998 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2003, the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003 to 2006, and the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2007 to 2008. [8]
Ociepka also served as an advance scout during the 1998 season for the Orlando Magic. [9]
From 2008 to 2010, Ociepka was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls and rookie head coach Vinny Del Negro. [7] In 2010, following Del Negro's firing from the Bulls, Ociepka was hired as an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers. [10]
During his time in the NBA, Ociepka has also written two books on basketball strategies. Basketball Playbook: Plays From the Pros was published in 1995 and Basketball Playbook 2: More Plays from the Pros was published in 2001. [9]
After serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in his career, in the 2012–13 season, Ociepka retired from coaching. [11]
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. He was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.
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Paul Douglas Collins is an American basketball executive, former player, coach and television analyst in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1973 to 1981 for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning four NBA All-Star selections. He then became an NBA coach in 1986, and had stints coaching the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Collins also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcast shows. He is a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award. In April 2024, Collins was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024 by the Contributors Committee.
Quentin Lamar Richardson is an American former professional basketball player who was formerly the director of player development for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Q-Ball", he played professionally for 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. He won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2005.
Lindsey Benson Hunter Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He was also the interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 2013. Most recently, he served as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State.
Michael Joseph Dunleavy Sr. is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former general manager of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers. He was most recently the head coach of the Tulane University men's basketball team. Dunleavy is the father of former professional basketball player Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Delmer William Harris is an American basketball coach who is currently the vice president of the Texas Legends, the NBA G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He served as a head coach for the NBA's Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Legends. He was also an assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Houston Rockets.
Richard Leonard Adelman is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.
Robert William Weiss is an American former professional basketball player and coach.
Eric Daniel Brunson is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a former professional player. He played nine seasons in the NBA and has also worked as an assistant coach for several teams. Brunson played college basketball for the Temple Owls.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA.
Vincent Joseph Del Negro is an American former professional basketball player. He was the head coach of the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls from 2008 to 2010, and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010 to 2013. Del Negro is currently an analyst with NBA TV.
Roy Lee Rogers Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Alabama and was a first-round selection of the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1996 NBA draft. Rogers played four seasons in the NBA with the Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets. He also played in Russia, Italy and Poland.
Elston Howard Turner Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association in New York City. In the off-season, the Knicks hired Pat Riley as their new head coach; Riley previously coached the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago. The team also acquired Xavier McDaniel from the Phoenix Suns, signed free agent Anthony Mason, and selected point guard Greg Anthony out of UNLV with the 12th overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft. Under Riley, the Knicks showed improvement as they held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Brian Quinnett to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for James Donaldson. The Knicks finished second in the Atlantic Division with a 51–31 record.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Bulls' 24th season in the National Basketball Association. Despite their solid playoff run last year, the Bulls fired head coach Doug Collins and replaced him with assistant Phil Jackson, and received the sixth pick in the 1989 NBA draft, which they used to select Stacey King from the University of Oklahoma. Under Jackson, the Bulls held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break, finished the regular season second in the Central Division with a 55–27 record, averaging 109.5 points per game.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the Jazz's 18th season in the National Basketball Association, and 13th season in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was also their first season playing at the Delta Center. The Jazz got off to a 7–6 start as the team traded Thurl Bailey to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Tyrone Corbin near the end of November. In December, during a home game against the Detroit Pistons, Karl Malone committed a flagrant foul on Isiah Thomas, in which Malone hit Thomas's forehead with his elbow, and Thomas had to receive 40 stitches; Malone was suspended for one game. The Jazz held a 31–18 record at the All-Star break, and won their final seven games, finishing first in the Midwest Division with a 55–27 record. They made their ninth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Spurs' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. However, prior to the start of the season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season.
