Former 76er Joins Rival's Coaching Staff
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After spending weeks in the NBA head coach rumor mill, former Philadelphia 76ers player Kevin Ollie has decided on his next move.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ollie will join the Brooklyn Nets’ coaching staff as an assistant. He will work alongside Jacque Vaughn, who was named the Nets’ head coach during the 2022-2023 season following the departure of Steve Nash.
It’s been quite an eventful offseason for the two-time 76er. As Ollie was relevant in the Detroit Pistons’ search for a new head coach, it seemed he was headed towards picking up his first head coaching job in the NBA since calling it quits as a player in 2010 following a run with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, Detroit got its dream candidate in the process of its search.
A few weeks back, the Phoenix Suns decided to move on from Monty Williams following a second-round exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Williams was expected to garner interest from the Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, and the 76ers.
While the Pistons initially offered Williams the job, reports mentioned that he declined as he was considering stepping away for a season and taking a break. One week later, Detroit offered Williams a contract he couldn’t refuse. After inking a deal with Detroit, Williams signed the most significant coaching contract in the league.
That left Ollie searching for a different opportunity. While the Toronto Raptors still had a position available, Ollie was not considered for the job to replace Nick Nurse. Therefore, he’ll join Vaughn in Brooklyn, helping the Nets improve through their re-tool process after putting an end to the short-lived superteam era.
Ollie joins Brooklyn’s bench with 13 years of playing experience in the NBA and six seasons of head coaching experience in the NCAA. Ollie’s most recent stop was with Ovetime Elite, where he was hired as the head coach and lead of basketball development.
The Brooklyn assistant is now back in the NBA, working his way up the coaching ranks.
