Longtime Spurs Shooting Coach Chip Engelland to Leave Team
Longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant and shooting coach Chip Engelland will leave the franchise at the conclusion of his contract, per a report Monday from Bleacher Report.
It's unclear when his contract will end, as the details and terms of the deal are not available to the public.
Engelland, 61, served as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons (1999-2000) and Denver Nuggets (2003-2005) before arriving to San Antonio in 2005. The Spurs won a title a month before his hire after defeating the Detroit Pistons in a thrilling seven-game series.
But since then, he's won two rings with the Spurs after titles in 2007 and 2014.
Engelland has become one of the more underrated faces in the game of basketball during his time with the Spurs. Before teaming up with the winningest coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich, his hoops career was touched by some of the game's most legendary figures.
He served as a ball boy for coach John Wooden and the NCAA champion UCLA Bruins in 1975, before arriving at Duke University four years later where he played under coach Mike Krzyzewski for four seasons. He scored over 1,000 points for the Blue Devils.
Engelland never played in the NBA, but spent time professionally overseas in the Philippines before joining the Pistons' coaching staff.
He's been heralded for his shooting development of Spurs legend Tony Parker, along with former Spur and current Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Both turned into productive shooters under Engelland after entering the league not known for their shooting capabilities.
The work clearly paid off, as Parker won Finals MVP in 2007, while Leonard won the award in 2014.
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