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Popular assistant coach remaining with Wolves despite Knicks' interest

Pablo Prigioni is staying in Minnesota, citing family reasons for the decision.
Will Ragatz|
Oct 21, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) chats with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni before a game against the Utah Jazz at Target Center.
Oct 21, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) chats with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni before a game against the Utah Jazz at Target Center. | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Popular Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni is remaining with the franchise despite receiving interest from the New York Knicks, according to SNY's Ian Begley, who reported that Prigioni cited family reasons in making this decision.

Earlier this week, the Knicks received permission to interview Prigioni for a potential role on new head coach Mike Brown's staff.

Prigioni, 48, has been an assistant with the Wolves since the 2019-20 season. He was hired when Ryan Saunders was the head coach and stuck around when Chris Finch replaced Saunders in 2021. He's one of the leaders of the Wolves' offense and reportedly has strong relationships with Minnesota's players, being a former player himself.

A native of Argentina, Prigioni had a long playing career in Argentina and Spain from 1995 to 2012. He then signed with the Knicks, becoming the oldest rookie in NBA history at 35 years old. The 6'3" point guard spent four seasons in the league with the Knicks, Rockets, and Clippers.

Prigioni retired from his playing career in 2017 and took a job coaching the team in Spain where he spent a big chunk of his playing days, although he stepped down from that role after only a few months. Prigioni was an assistant coach with the Nets in the 2018-19 season before landing in Minnesota.

In addition to his Timberwolves duties, Prigioni has been the head coach of the Argentinian men's national team since 2022.

Prigioni, Micah Nori, Elston Turner, Corliss Williamson, Kevin Hanson, and Max Lefevre were the assistants on Finch's staff this past season.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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