Report: Suns coach Monty Williams on Steve Kerr’s USA Basketball coaching staff
Dec 10, 2021, 12:29 PM | Updated: 12:35 pm
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams will be an assistant on the USA Basketball staff led by head coach Steve Kerr, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kerr served as an assistant under and now replaces head coach Gregg Popovich, who led the Americans to an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo this past summer.
Kerr’s refreshed staff includes Williams, who like Kerr played in San Antonio for Popovich. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few are also assistants, according to Wojnarowski.
That coaching staff will lead Team USA starting with the 2023 World Cup and then the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The connections between the USA Basketball program and the Suns run deep.
USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill played in Phoenix from 2007-12, where Kerr served as general manager from 2004-10. Kerr becomes Hill’s first major decision after taking over for Jerry Colangelo, the former leader of the national team and former owner of the Suns.
As for Williams, this isn’t his first time coaching for USA Basketball, as he was on head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff that won the 2016 gold in Rio de Janeiro. Moving forward, he could be on staff of a team that features one of his current Suns players.
Devin Booker joined the Tokyo Olympic team after Phoenix’s NBA Finals run this past season and played a significant role for the Americans.