Rockets' Royal Ivey Could Garner Head Coaching Interest This Offseason

It's long overdue.

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey during the first quarter against Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Royal Ivey has had a rather lengthy and detailed basketball life. He starred collegiately at the University of Texas for four seasons and spent a total of 10 seasons in the NBA, after becoming a second-round draft selection in 2004.

Ivey has now been coaching for 10 seasons as well, albeit all at the assistant coach level. Ivey started coaching with the Oklahoma City Thunder just two years after retiring from the NBA, joining former Thunder coach and current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s staff and remained there for two seasons.

He then spent two seasons as an assistant with the New York Knicks, under David Fizdale, although those Knicks teams weren’t nearly as successful. The next three seasons of his coaching career were spent with the Brooklyn Nets, under Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn, after the Nets parted ways with Nash.

Ivey has spent the last three seasons with the Houston Rockets on head coach Ime Udoka’s staff, which makes sense, as the two crossed paths in 2020-21, when they were both assistants on the Nets. Ivey’s time as an assistant coach in the NBA could be nearing an end, at least according to well-known insider Jake Fischer, who cited Ivey as one of several assistants that will garner head coaching interest around the league at the completion of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Ivey has also coached the South Sudan national team, with his first season with the team coming in 2021. By 2023, he had led the team to their first World Cup appearance, which resulted in a 2024 Olympic berth. Which is a daunting task and major feat, considering that the country had never made the Olympics before.

The Sudanese Bright Stars had been coached by long-time NBA wing and All-Star Luol Deng, prior to Ivey taking over the position. At the time, Ivey’s tenure with the Knicks had ended and he had expressed interest in partnering with Deng with the Sudanese ball club.

Deng passed the torch to Ivey, creating an opportunity and pathway for him to get coaching exposure at one of the brightest stages imaginable. Ivey didn’t look back, making the most of the opportunity at the Olympic stage. As it pertains to Ivey’s prospects at the NBA level, he’s landed head coaching interviews over the years, including one with the Charlotte Hornets in 2024.

He also received interest from the Phoenix Suns, prior to their hire of Jordan Ott last season.