Former 76er Takes Over Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Job

The Brooklyn Nets became the latest team to move on from their head coach on Monday.

Weeks after the Milwaukee Bucks shocked the league by canning their first-year head coach, Adrian Griffin, the Nets decided to call it quits with Jacque Vaughn, who has been with the organization since 2016.

What’s Next for Brooklyn?

The Nets elevated one of Vaughn’s assistants to take over for the time being. Kevin Ollie, a former undrafted NBA player who has ties to the Philadelphia 76ers, will run the show out in Brooklyn until further notice.

Following the firing of Vaughn, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets were moving quickly in talks with Ollie about making him the interim head coach. Roughly an hour later, it was confirmed that would be the Nets’ next move.

In 1997, Ollie joined the NBA as an undrafted player out of UConn. He started his career with the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic in his rookie season. After two stints with the Magic and a handful of games in Dallas and Sacramento, Ollie’s first real break came in Philadelphia during the 1999-2000 season with the Sixers, where he averaged seven minutes in 40 games.

Ollie ended up suiting up for the Sixers on three different occasions. After his first year in Philly, he landed with the New Jersey Nets for 19 games before getting sent back to the Sixers for another run. After several years bouncing around the league, landing in Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Cleveland, Ollie ended up back in Philly during the 2004-2005 season. He would play for the Sixers for four straight seasons before finishing out his final two playing seasons in Minnesota and Oklahoma City.

Ollie transitioned to the coaching game right after hanging up his jersey in 2010. He started at his NCAA alma mater as an assistant before getting promoted to head coach in 2012. In 2021, Ollie coached in the new Overtime Elite league for a few seasons before getting his latest job as an assistant in Brooklyn.

Now, Ollie collects his first opportunity to showcase himself as an NBA head coach. He takes over for the 21-33 Nets, who place 11th in the Eastern Conference.