Micah Nori

Last updated
Micah Nori
Minnesota Timberwolves
PositionAssistant coach
League NBA
Personal information
BornApril 8, 1974 (age 49)
Middletown, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Career information
College Indiana University
Coaching career2009–present
Career history
As coach:
2009-2013 Toronto Raptors (assistant)
2013-2015 Sacramento Kings (assistant)
2015-2018 Denver Nuggets (assistant)
2018-2021 Detroit Pistons (assistant)
2021-present Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)

Micah Nori (born April 8, 1974) is an American basketball coach currently serving as an 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. [1]

Contents

He garnered attention in 2023 for his "ingenious, often comic analogies" during sideline interviews at Timberwolves’ games. [2]

Early life and education

Nori grew up in Middletown, Ohio, where his father coached high school football, baseball and basketball. [3] A three-sport athlete himself in high school, Nori ended up at Indiana University, where he was captain and middle infielder of the baseball team. Injuries and a self-professed "lack of athleticism" kept him from pursuing a professional career. [4]

After graduation, Nori earned a master's degree in sports organization at Miami University while serving as a graduate assistant on the baseball team's coaching staff. [5]

Career

Early days

In 1998, Nori was considering a job as a high school athletic director when family friend (and newly hired Raptors head coach) Butch Carter called and offered him a job in Toronto. [4] He started as a coach's assistant intern before becoming an advance scout. After a brief run as the hitting coach for his alma mater Hoosiers in 2005, he eventually ascended to the Raptors' coaching staff as an assistant.

Coaching career

Nori spent four seasons with the Raptors under head coaches Jay Triano and Dwane Casey before moving on to the Sacramento Kings in 2013. Nori had met their current coach, Mike Malone, for dinner while Malone was an assistant for the Golden State Warriors. After the dinner, Nori texted him saying that when Malone got a head coaching job, he hoped to be considered for his staff. [6]

When Malone became the Nuggets' head coach in 2015, Nori joined the staff as an assistant. That year, he served as head coach of Denver's NBA Summer League team, which included future two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The team went 3–0.

In Denver, he bonded with fellow assistant Chris Finch. Finch was in charge of the team's offensive schemes, and the two honed a free-flowing style of basketball that would become his calling card in later years.

By 2018, Nori had taken a head assistant job with the Detroit Pistons under his former boss Casey. He served as the team's offensive coordinator.

He kept in touch with Finch, and when Finch was named head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves before the 2021-22 season, he brought on Nori as his lead assistant. Nori describes his role as like a bench coach in baseball: "the right-hand man with a broad array of input and oversight". [7]

He's often seen doing strategy breakdowns and sideline interviews on Timberwolves' broadcasts, where he gained notoriety for his metaphors, like: "He makes everybody comfortable—he's like popcorn during Saturday night movies." [2] ESPN called him a "unique coaching mind, one who ... breaks down defensive strategy in depth pre-game, with a real level of focus and clarity." [8]

Nori coached Team Pau during the 2024 All-Star Rising Stars Challenge. [9]

Personal life

Nori and his wife Melissa have two kids, Dante and Mia. Dante, a talented high school outfielder, was invited to play in the MLB High School All-Star Game in 2023. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ Association, NBA Coaches (2022-10-15). "Micah Nori | The Official Website of The NBA Coaches Association". nbacoaches.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  2. 1 2 Dierberger, Tom (2023-12-20). "Timberwolves Assistant Reminds NBA Fans of 'Ted Lasso' With Creative Halftime Metaphors". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  3. ↑ "Kings Q&A: Micah Nori". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  4. 1 2 Robson, Britt (2022-02-23). "The balloon artist: How Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori became Chris Finch's most trusted confidant". MinnPost. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  5. ↑ "Nori Named Assistant Baseball Coach". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  6. ↑ Coombs, Sam (2018-03-19). "Micah Nori: From Baseball to the NBA Sidelines. The Unique Story of this Denver Nuggets Assistant Co". prominentprofiles. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  7. ↑ Robson, Britt (2024-02-22). "Timberwolves assistant coaches play key role in teams success". MinnPost. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  8. ↑ ""We're after a championship": The Timberwolves believe this year is different". ESPN.com. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  9. ↑ "Complete Timberwolves' NBA All-Star 2024 guide: TV schedule & events for Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  10. ↑ "Northville family's NBA-flavored journey has been amazing". 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
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