OKLAHOMA CITY, August 29, 2012 – The Tulsa 66ers, proud affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, announced today that Head Coach Dale Osbourne has accepted an opportunity to join the Portland Trail Blazers as an assistant coach.
Osbourne becomes the second Tulsa 66ers coach to join the NBA ranks in the past nine months. Previously, former 66ers Head Coach Nate Tibbetts was selected to join Byron Scott’s coaching staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Dale was a valued member of the Thunder, through his commitment and service to the organization, he has had an impact on both our team in Tulsa and Oklahoma City,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sam Presti. “Dale has worked tirelessly in the coaching profession and is more than deserving of this opportunity. Our goal is to focus on the development of not only our players, but also our coaches and staff with the Thunder and 66ers, and we are thrilled to see another member of the 66ers coaching staff continue their career by joining an NBA bench.”
With over 20 years of coaching experience, Osbourne helped lead the 66ers to two consecutive D-League playoff appearances before being named Head Coach five games into the 2011-12 season after Nate Tibbetts accepted a position on the Cavaliers’ sideline.
Prior to joining the 66ers in Tulsa, Osbourne spent time as an assistant coach with the D-League’s Utah Flash and Austin Toros. From 2004-06, Osbourne served as Head Coach and General Manager of the USBL Dodge City Legend, where he led the team to consecutive regular season and division championships in 2004 and 2005. Prior to his stint in the USBL, Osbourne spent seven seasons at the University of South Alabama, where he helped guide his alma mater to a pair of Sun Belt conferences titles.
Osbourne will join the Thunder’s former pro scout, David Vanterpool, who also recently accepted an assistant coaching position on Terry Stott’s staff in Portland.
In addition to Osbourne and Tibbetts, nine Tulsa players have received GATORADE Call-Ups to NBA teams in the past four seasons.