Amile Jefferson Joins His Celtics Players Chasing an NBA Dream at Summer League

LAS VEGAS — As the Boston Celtics were wrapping up their first practice ahead of the Las Vegas Summer League, a few of the young C’s with pogo sticks for legs decided to put on a quick dunk contest. In the middle of it, Celtics assistant, and summer league head coach Amile Jefferson, decided to get in on the fun.

He stretched, took a dribble, jumped, spun, and threw down a 360 degree, one-handed slam. Maybe his 33-year-old legs couldn't get him as high as they used to, but it was a reminder to his players that he was once one of them.

The past tense there might be hard for some people to handle, especially when players like Al Horford, Nikola Vucevic, and Mike Conley come through town still earning big paychecks. But Jefferson is more focused on what’s ahead of him. Now heading into his fifth season as an assistant coach, and fourth with the Celtics, Jefferson is doing the same thing his players are doing. He’s chasing an NBA dream.

“I found out from Joe [Mazzulla] a little bit close to the end of the season,” Jefferson said. “I’m excited. It’s an honor. I really appreciate our coaching staff, everybody trusting me, and for me it’s a really good work opportunity. I’m super excited about it.”

Jefferson is uniquely qualified to coach in this situation. There are more players on summer league rosters who are battling to hang onto the fringes of the league than there are sure things just getting their sea legs. Jefferson was in that exact situation, signing two-way deals with Minnesota and Orlando, playing just 30 NBA games over two seasons.

“[I want] to help somebody's dream come true,” Jefferson said. “I've been in this position before. I know what it's like to play summer league, to want to get a chance in the NBA. This is the best job in the world, and so to be a small part of helping these guys achieve their dream is a super, super honor for me.”

Jefferson’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Duke, where he was once teammates with Jayson Tatum. He cut his teeth next to John Scheyer, but it was former Blue Devils coach, the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, who made sure Jefferson was on the right path.

“[He said] if you're going to do this, do it to be a head coach,” Jefferson said. “He had a real deep conversation with me about that, about how you can't be halfway in; you got to be all the way in, and I've taken that everywhere I've gone. So he's been super important, and not only my basketball career, but my life in general.”

Jefferson’s work quickly took him to Boston, where he was hired by Mazzulla in 2023. What has followed has been intense, but rewarding.

“It's incredible, and it's because it's all streamlined. We all work in an ecosystem, and everyone is building each other up,” Jefferson said. “Everyone is helping each other … My first year here was like a PhD in basketball. I got to learn so much from our coaches, and they're just so intelligent and creative. And so it made me start thinking about the game in a different way, and it's made me a much better coach.”

Now he’s getting to apply it in his first taste of head coaching. As much as the Celtics are known for their player development program, their development of coaches is also impressive. Summer league head coaching duties have been rotating throughout the staff, and all of those coaches are with Jefferson in Las Vegas.

“I was under [Tony Dobbins], D.J. [MacLeay], and Matt [Reynolds], who were all head coaches before me,” Jefferson said. “The best advice I got from them was just enjoy it. Do what you want, experiment, try things, make it digestible for the guys, but make them have to learn something. It can be something new, it can be something you believe in, but just do it with conviction.

“For me, it’s just been trying to be organized, trying to make sure we’re super-organized, detailed, and guys are having fun. But those three guys have been super-helpful to me not only for summer league but for my entire coaching career.”

Jefferson is now 1-0 as a head coach, thanks to a wild comeback after some horrendous shooting. Tatum was there to support his former teammate as he takes an important step in his career. Jefferson ended up getting a technical foul in the game, something Tatum is very used to and enjoyed very much on the sidelines. In a mic’d up moment, Tatum turned to Derrick White and said “it took you nine years to get a tech, it took Amile nine minutes … Passion, that's what we call it.”

He’s joking, but he’s also right. Jefferson does have a passion for what he does, and he hopes this isn’t the last time he’ll be patrolling the sidelines and yelling at the officials. He’s here chasing the same dream his players are, but there are 500 spots for players in the league. There are only 30 for head coaches right now.

The youth in his legs might not be there anymore, but youth is on his side as he bides his time and waits for his opportunity.

“I'm not in a rush to do anything,” he said. “The only thing I'm in a rush to do is get better every day and learn every day, and be confident, and feel really good about who I am as a coach, about development, and about the things I believe in in terms of basketball, offense, and defense. So for me, it's just about becoming better and doing that every day, and learning more about the game, being creative and thinking about it in new ways.”

Add us as a preferred source on Google