David Joerger is entering his first season on the Grizzlies’ bench. It marks his first coaching job in the NBA, but Joerger comes to the Grizzlies as one of the most successful minor league basketball coaches in history. He becomes just the sixth head coach (15th coach overall) in NBA Development League history to join the NBA coaching ranks.

Last season he served as head coach of the 2006-07 NBA Development League Champion Dakota Wizards. The title was the fifth he’d won as a head coach, as he’d previously won one IBA title and three CBA championships, along with two CBA Coach of the Year honors and a 232-117 record as a head coach.

After finishing his playing career at Moorhead State, Joerger got his start as the Dakota Wizards’ general manager when they were members of the IBA. He received his first opportunity on the sidelines as an assistant coach during the 1997-98 season. After three years as an assistant, Joerger went on to replace then head coach Duane Ticknor and led the Wizards to their first championship during the 2000-01 season. Prior to the 2001-02 season, the Wizards moved into a new league where Joerger led the team to another title, winning the 2001-02 CBA championship. Joerger continued his success winning his third title in four years after the Wizards defeated the Idaho Stampede to win the 2003-04 CBA Championship.

During the summer of 2004, Joerger moved to Sioux Falls to become the head coach of the Skyforce and proceeded to lead Sioux Falls to his fourth CBA Championship. That accomplishment gave him more minor league championships than minor league-turned-NBA head coaches Flip Saunders, Eric Musselman, Phil Jackson and George Karl combined.

An excellent teacher of the game, Joerger had 18 NBA call-ups in the past four years.

Joerger and his wife Kara are the parents of two daughters: Alli, 5, and Kiana, 2.