Damian Lillard Hires Former Blazers Assistant For Weber State HC Job

Former Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Kaleb Canales is back to leading a basketball team.

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Weber State University is hiring Canales to be the program's next head coach.

"Congratulations to Kaleb Canales for landing the head coaching job at Weber State. Canales coached Damian Lillard — who is the program’s general manager — in Portland. He was the first Mexican-American to serve as NBA interim head coach in 2012," Haynes tweeted.

Congratulations to Kaleb Canales for landing the head coaching job at Weber State. Canales coached Damian Lillard — who is the program’s general manager — in Portland. He was the first Mexican-American to serve as NBA interim head coach in 2012. pic.twitter.com/REF5ENUT18
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 3, 2026

Damian Lillard Helps Kaleb Canales Get Weber State HC Job

Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is also serving a role as Weber State University's general manager. Lillard attended Weber State from 2008 to 2012. After his collegiate career, he was drafted by the Blazers with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

When he arrived in Portland, he met Canales, who had recently served as the team's interim head coach. After Nate McMillan was fired in March 2011 of the 2011-2012 season, Canales was retained on Terry Stotts' staff and was an assistant for a year.

From there, Canales jumped around the league as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Orlando Magic. In 2023, Canales made the jump to the G League joining the Texas Legends, and this past season, Canales was the associate head coach at Troy University, which qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

While Troy lost in the first round of the tournament to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Canales made quite an impression and put himself in the right position to earn other jobs. His relationship with Lillard from his rookie season seems to have still persisted over the years, and that's part of the reason why he's now coaching Lillard's alma mater.

Canales landing this job shows how important relationships are over the years in the NBA, and it is also a stamp of approval from Lillard that Canales is ready to be a head coach. It's the first time Canales has been a head coach since he was the Blazers' interim for 23 games around 14 years ago.

In the meantime, Lillard is cheering his Blazers on the sidelines as he recovers from a torn Achilles he suffered nearly a year ago in the first round of the playoffs when he was playing with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Blazers return to the court on Monday to take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT inside Ball Arena in Denver. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.