Playing career
As a student at Simon Fraser University, the 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m), 194-pound (88 kg) [1] Triano broke or equalled eleven school men's basketball records, including having the most career points with 2,616. At Simon Fraser, he befriended Canadian athlete and activist Terry Fox. [5] He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, but was cut during training camp and never played in the NBA. [6] The same year, he was also drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the sixth round of the 1981 CFL Draft.
Triano was a national team player from 1977 to 1988, captained the team from 1981 to 1988, and played in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. He led the Canadian team that won Gold at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton, Alberta, defeating the United States in the semi-finals, which was led by Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, [6] and Yugoslavia in the final, led by Dražen Petrović. He played three seasons of professional basketball, two in Mexico and one (1985–86 season for Fenerbahçe Istanbul) in Turkey.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player in 1988, Triano became head coach at his alma mater, Simon Fraser. He attempted to recruit high school star Steve Nash and later served as his mentor. [7] In 1995, when the nearby Vancouver Grizzlies debuted, he became team director of community relations and worked as the colour commentator for their radio broadcasts. In 1998, Triano became the head coach of the Canadian men's national basketball team. He coached the Nash-led team to a 5–2 record and a seventh-place finish in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, losing to France by five points in the quarter-finals. Two years later, he became an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, becoming the second Canadian-born coach in the NBA. He served under Lenny Wilkens, Kevin O'Neill, and Sam Mitchell.
In 2004, Triano was fired as national team head coach, [8] and replaced by Leo Rautins the following year.
In 2008, Triano was named an assistant coach for United States national team. On February 13, 2008, Triano served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors in their 109–91 victory over the New Jersey Nets, in place of head coach Sam Mitchell, who was absent from the team as a result of the death of his father-in-law, making history as the first Canadian to serve as head coach for a regular-season NBA game.
On December 3, 2008, Triano was named interim head coach of the Raptors after Mitchell was relieved of his coaching duties. He became the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history and first Canadian head coach in NBA history. [9] Triano guided the Raptors to a 25–40 mark. [10]
On May 12, 2009, Triano was given a three-year deal to remain head coach of the Raptors.
In Triano's first full season as the Raptors head coach in the 2009–10 season, Toronto missed making the playoffs by one game to the Chicago Bulls, going 2–5 in their final 7 games. The team finished 40–42.
In the 2010–11 season, without All-Star Chris Bosh on the roster, Triano led the Raptors to a dismal 22–60 record.
On June 1, 2011, the Raptors announced they would not be picking up the option on Triano's contract, but gave him another position within the organization, the vice-president of pro scouting.
On August 17, 2012, Triano was named as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. [11] The following week, Triano was also named head coach of Canada's national team for the second time in his career. [12]
On July 27, 2016, Triano was hired by the Phoenix Suns as associate head coach. [13]
On October 22, 2017, after a 0–3 start to the season, including one of the worst losses in Suns history and the worst loss to open up a regular season in league history, Triano was promoted to interim head coach of the Suns after the firing of Earl Watson. [14] In his first game as head coach since 2011, Triano guided the team, which had suffered 40-plus-point losses earlier in the year, to leads as much as 22 points before winning 117–115 on October 23, against the Sacramento Kings for their first win of the season. On December 26, 2017, Triano became the first foreign-born head coach in NBA history to win 100 games in the league with a 99–97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Suns finished the season with a 21–58 record under his tenure, and he did not return as head coach after that season. [15] On July 2, 2018, Triano was hired by the Charlotte Hornets as an assistant coach. [16]
On August 12, 2022, Triano was hired by the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach. [17] He was promoted to associate head coach after the 2023–24 season, following the departure of Jordi Fernández, who was hired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. [18]
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Scotiabank Arena, which it shares with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded in 1995 as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Since the 2001–02 season, the Raptors have been the only Canadian-based team in the league, as the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee.
Earl Joseph Watson Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a four-year starter and named all-conference as a senior in the Pac-10. Watson was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft with the 39th overall selection. He played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams before becoming a coach in 2014. He was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016 to 2017.
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.
Dwane Lyndon Casey is an American basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons before transitioning to a front office position with the team. He is a former NCAA basketball player and coach, having played and coached there for over a decade before moving on to the NBA. He was previously the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors, with whom he won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2018.
Marcus John Iavaroni is an American former professional basketball player and former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as an assistant coach for several NBA teams.
Samuel E. Mitchell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Playing at small forward, Mitchell's 18-year professional basketball career spanned three decades, and was most notable for his ten seasons with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, whom he also coached as an interim for the 2015–16 season. Mitchell coached for the Toronto Raptors from 2004 to 2008 as well, winning Coach of the Year Award in 2007.
Brendan Thomas Malone was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Robert "Rob" Babcock was an American basketball executive. He served as a Vice President of Basketball Operations with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, and also as general manager of the Toronto Raptors from 2004 to 2006.
Darrick David Martin is an American basketball coach, most recently head coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. He played basketball for more than a decade, shuttling between the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA. In 2003, he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Lightning of the Independent Basketball Association (IBL). He was named the head coach of Reno in June 2016.
Bryan Paul Colangelo is an American basketball executive who was the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also served as president of basketball operations for Philadelphia and Toronto. He is the son of Phoenix sports mogul Jerry Colangelo. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and applied economics. He was the 2005 and 2007 recipient of the NBA Executive of the Year Award.
Edward Lewis Pinckney is an American former professional basketball player.
Tyrone Kennedy Corbin is an American former basketball player who last worked as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. He was first appointed the assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns, then was named the Utah Jazz’s head coach, on February 10, 2011, following the resignation of longtime coach Jerry Sloan. He was also the brief interim head coach of the Sacramento Kings in the 2014–15 season before being replaced by George Karl. Prior to that, Corbin played 16 seasons in the NBA.
The Canada men's national basketball team represents Canada in international basketball competitions since 1923. They are overseen by Canada Basketball, the governing body for basketball in Canada.
The 2008–09 Toronto Raptors season is the 14th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before the season began, six-time NBA All-Star and center Jermaine O'Neal was acquired to complement Chris Bosh in the frontcourt. 17 games into the season, head coach Sam Mitchell was fired and replaced by Jay Triano. The Raptors went into the All-Star break 13 games under .500, and O'Neal was traded to Miami for Shawn Marion. The Raptors continued to struggle, and were eliminated from the playoff race with seven games of the regular season remaining.
Tyrone Ellis is an American-Georgian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. He is 1.93 m tall and played as a shooting guard. He was the first head coach named for both the Northern Arizona Suns and the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League.
Brady Heslip is a Canadian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Baylor University and represents the Canadian national team. As of 2022, Heslip serves as the general manager for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the CEBL.
Nate Bjorkgren is an American basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of South Dakota and Buena Vista University. He was previously an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2015 to 2017 and the Toronto Raptors from 2018 to 2020. He was the head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the 2020–2021 season.
The 2018–19 Phoenix Suns season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 26th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. They finished with 19 wins to 63 losses, the franchise's worst regular season record since the inaugural season 1968–69.
Micah Nori is an American basketball coach currently serving as the lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.
