There are many players in the league who have continued their career as coaches. Most of them end up coaching the franchises that they played for once. Gaining credibility as a coach is no easy task, your team's achievements define your capabilities. If the team is doing good, the head coach is praised and vice versa. The pressure and responsibility the job requires is on another level. Today we are going to reflect upon the career of one such player who went from playing in the league to coaching.
Willie Julius Green, most commonly known as Willie Green, is one of the successful coaches in the league. Some may know him as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. He is fairly new in terms of coaching, Willie started his journey in 2016 as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Willie Green played basketball from a young age. He went to the University of Detroit Mercy and was picked by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2003. Willie got traded the same day during draft night to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Green's last year in the league as a player was with the Orlando Magic, after which he started his journey as a coach.
Teams Coached by Willie Green
To start a coaching career in the NBA, one must be very tenacious and competitive. A career as such usually starts at the intern level, followed by assistant coach and finally head coach to a franchise. For Willie Green, his career had an excellent start as he won two championships with the first team he was signed to as an assistant coach. This achievement gave his career a major boost.
The Golden State Warriors was the team that hired Green as an assistant coach, right after his retirement as a player. He worked with the franchise for three years and won two championships in a row. This was most definitely the highlight in Willie's overall career in basketball. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns for two years. Green was then offered the role of head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans was a great fit for Green, a young team looking to become title contenders was just what he needed. Willie has players like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram in the roster who raise the overall power of the team. They have been looking strong these past few years. Injuries have been the main problem in their run. Hopefully in the coming season, the Pelicans don't face any major injuries to the line-up.
This past year was Willie Green's first winning season as a head coach in the league and hopefully there are many more to come.
FAQs
A. Green has turned 42 as of this year.
A. Green's best season is definitely 2017, where he was serving as an assistant coach to the Warriors. This was the year he won his first NBA championship as a coach.
A. Willie Green attended college at the University of Detroit Mercy.
A. He is widely known for his role as a head coach to the Pelicans.
A. He is married to Terrah Green.
