Suns’ Monty Williams earns consecutive NBCA Coach of the Year Award

Monty Williams has been voted by his fellow NBA coaches as the 2021-22 Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Williams earned the Michael H. Goldberg National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award by way of votes from the league’s 30 head coaches.

The media’s NBA Coach of the Year award that last season gave the New York Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau the nod over Williams will be announced during the playoffs.

Phoenix finished the season with a 64-18 record, first in net rating and top-five in both offensive and defensive ratings.

The Suns were 47-0 after leading after three quarters and went 17-17 when trailing heading to the fourth quarter.

Williams released a statement through the NBCA about his consecutive Coach of the Year honor:

I am thrilled and overwhelmed to be recognized by my peers and receive the Michael H. Goldberg Coach of the Year Award from the NBCA. The coaches in our league sacrifice so much to serve their teams, and there are so many outstanding coaches deserving of this honor. It is incredibly humbling to again receive this recognition from this group, for whom I hold the utmost respect. Thank you to my fellow coaches and to everyone at the NBCA…you guys deserve an award for the work that you do for us and our families.

This honor carries added significance because it bears Mr. Goldberg’s name. He cared dearly for all of the league’s coaches and worked tirelessly for our best interests. He was a consistent example of class and sacrificed his time so that we could have better jobs and livelihoods.

Individual accolades are a result of team success. My name gets attached to this award, but the success of our team is due to the work put in everyday by our players, coaching staff, and every member of the Suns organization. This honor is reflective of the efforts of countless people and it is a privilege to work alongside you all. It’s a get to, not a got to.

I am so grateful for each one of our players and staff. It is a blessing and a joy to interact with you all every day. I thank you for making this such a special season for our organization and for our fans – and also for me and my family.

Wojnarowski reports that former Suns assistant Willie Green, in his first year with the New Orleans Pelicans, also earned consideration this season. The Pelicans went 36-46 and made the play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins, Los Angeles Clippers’ Ty Lue, San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich and Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra also earned votes, according to Wojnarowksi.

“Congratulations to Monty Williams on winning the Michael H. Goldberg Award for a second consecutive season,” said Indiana Pacers Head Coach and NBCA President Rick Carlisle. “Each of his three seasons with the Suns has produced a double-digit increase in wins from the previous year, which is extraordinarily difficult to do. Congratulations again to Monty and his entire staff on a repeat of this most prestigious recognition by his peers.”

The Suns made a leap from a 34-39 record in 2019-20, Williams’ first year on the job, to a 51-21 mark last season, finishing second in the Western Conference.

After an NBA Finals appearance, Phoenix improved again by going 64-18 this season to earn the best regular-season record in the league by a full eight games over the second-place Grizzlies (56-26).

Thibodeau last season finished in the media-driven ballot with two fewer first-place votes but won via a point total of 351 to Williams’ 340.

The 11-point difference between the first and second-place finishers was the smallest margin since the current NBA Coach of the Year voting format was introduced in 2002-03.

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