Daniel Ray Ainge is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his 18-year career as general manager for the Boston Celtics, he was known for making bold moves to help the team rebuild, clearing cap space and tanking for picks. Ainge served as the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021, when he was succeeded by incumbent head coach Brad Stevens.
Gerald Eugene Sloan was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent as head coach of the Utah Jazz (1988–2011). NBA commissioner David Stern referred to Sloan as "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history". Sloan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jeffrey John Hornacek is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the Phoenix Suns (2013–2016) and the New York Knicks (2016–2018). He was also an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets. He played shooting guard in the NBA from 1986 through 2000 and played collegiately at Iowa State University.
Terry Porter is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA draft. In Portland, he played ten seasons with two All-Star Game appearances. Porter spent 17 years in the NBA as a player. Following his retirement as a player in 2002, he began coaching in the league. Porter has twice been a head coach, first with his hometown Milwaukee Bucks and then with the Phoenix Suns.
Howard Jonathan Eisley is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball at Boston College and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Eisley spent twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA): six with the Utah Jazz and the other six with seven other teams.
Michael Burton Brown is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He is also the head coach of the Nigerian national team. Brown began coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. The team reached the 2007 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Brown was honored as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Cavaliers to a team-record and league-best 66 wins in 2009. The Cavaliers won 61 games, again a league-best, in 2010. However, after the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, Brown was fired. Brown succeeded Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 before being dismissed five games into the 2012–13 season. He returned to the Cavaliers in 2013, but was fired after one season. Brown then joined the Golden State Warriors as associate head coach in 2016; the team went on to defeat the Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, and the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. He departed from the Warriors in 2022 to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. In his first year as head coach, Brown led the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 17 years, snapping the longest playoff drought in NBA history. For his efforts, Brown became the first-ever unanimous NBA Coach of the Year award winner and was named to the NBCA Coach of the Year award in 2023.
Ime Sunday Udoka is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player, who is the head coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in the United States, he represented the Nigeria national team during his playing career. After retiring as a player, Udoka served as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets before becoming the head coach of the Boston Celtics, whom he led to the 2022 NBA Finals. After being suspended for the whole 2022–23 season, Udoka was hired by the Rockets in April 2023.
Tyrone Kennedy Corbin is an American former basketball player and 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.
John Jay Humphries is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later served as the first head coach of the NBA D-League's Reno Bighorns. He last worked as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was founded in 2007 as the Utah Flash and served as an affiliate to the Utah Jazz. In April 2013, the 76ers acquired the team and relocated it to Delaware, where it played as the Delaware 87ers until 2018. The team moved to the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2018 and were rebranded as the Delaware Blue Coats. As with the Sixers, the Blue Coats are owned by Josh Harris and David Blitzer under Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). The team won the 2022–23 G League championship.
Jeff Reed Judkins is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. He coached the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars women's basketball team from 2001 to 2022, after serving as their assistant coach in 2000–01. A 6'6", 185-lb shooting guard, he played college basketball at the University of Utah from 1974 to 1978 and had a career in the NBA from 1978 to 1983.
The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Missouri in the SEC. Prior to the 2012–2013 season, the basketball team represented the school in the Big 12 Conference. They are located in Columbia, Missouri, playing home games at Mizzou Arena (15,061). The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2023. The Tigers' season in 2022–23 was their first under head coach Dennis Gates, who was hired away from Cleveland State to replace the fired Cuonzo Martin. The Missouri men's basketball program was a charter member of the Big 12 Conference, formed from the Big Eight Conference in 1996. Entering the 2023-24 season the Tigers had an all-time record of 1,683–1,221 and a winning percentage of .580.
Brett William Brown is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown is a former college basketball player who previously served as head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 to 2020. Before that, Brown was an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff on the Spurs. He also has extensive experience coaching in Australia, having been the head coach of the North Melbourne Giants and Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL).
Michael Vincent Budenholzer is an American professional basketball coach who was most recently head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association, with which he won an NBA title in 2020–21 during his coaching stint from 2018–2023.
The 2011–12 NBA season was the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA's players. The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout. With the new deal in place, the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66, because of nearly two months of inactivity. This was the league's first season since 1991–92 without Shaquille O'Neal, who announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, via social media. A 4-time champion, O'Neal played 19 years for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. The season began on Christmas Day 2011, and ended on April 26, 2012. The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series, 121–106, winning the Finals, 4–1 and to capture the franchise's second NBA title. LeBron James was named both the season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. The NBA regular season would not begin again in December until the 2020–21 NBA season.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Nuggets’ 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 31st season as a franchise. The Nuggets received the fifth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected Tony Battie out of Texas Tech University. During the off-season, the team acquired Eric Williams from the Boston Celtics, acquired Johnny Newman, Joe Wolf and top draft pick Danny Fortson out of the University of Cincinnati from the Milwaukee Bucks, first round draft pick Bobby Jackson from the Seattle SuperSonics, second round draft pick Eric Washington from the Orlando Magic, and signed free agent Dean Garrett. However, Williams suffered a devastating knee injury after only just four games, and was out for the remainder of the season, averaging 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Bryant Stith only played just 31 games due to ankle and foot injuries. At midseason, the team signed free agent Cory Alexander, who was previously released by the San Antonio Spurs.
Evan Christopher Bradds is an American basketball coach. He played college basketball at Belmont University.
Romeo James Langford is an American professional basketball player for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. Langford was ranked as one of the highest prospects in the college class of 2019; he finished as the 5th overall prospect in the 2018 247sports rankings. A shooting guard, he was drafted by the Celtics 14th overall in the 2019 NBA draft.
Joseph Mazzulla is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for West Virginia University.
