He does so much of the work of the NBA, mostly unseen if not unappreciated.
He’s the assistant coach, the man—and lately the woman—who reside inches from the seat of NBA power, relied upon by the head coach for support and knowledge, by the players for understanding and education, by the media for explanation.
The rewards are substantial, if not extraordinary, so he substitutes passion and professionalism. It’s a love affair with the game, and it perhaps was never better exemplified by Bulls legend Tex Winter, a collegiate head coach five times and a 10-time NBA champion as an assistant coach under Phil Jackson with the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s why when the National Basketball Coaches Association wanted to honor the coaches who often go unnoticed if not undervalued, they chose to name the award for Winter.
So it was appropriate Tuesday when the NBCA selected Ron Adams, a former Bulls assistant and Winter disciple, as the 2022 Tex Winter award winner.
“I’m really honored to receive this award, especially when it comes from fellow coaches,” Adams said in an interview at Summer League. “It’s very gratifying and I’m very humbled by it because there are so many good coaches out there certainly worthy of it. I’m a compilation of so many people over the years who have invested in me and helped me and directed me, people I’ve learned from. So I thank all those people, and then the players who I’ve learned from and put up with me, so many good ones over the years. The relationships are so hard to describe. Family is a common and appropriate word.
"Special thanks to all the head coaches in the NBA I have worked with, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, George Karl, Bill Cartwright, Jim Boylan, Scott Brooks, Tom Thibodeau, Brad Stevens, and Steve Kerr,” said Adams. “All of you respected me, and you all were very kind to me and my family. And I want to thank all the NBA players I worked with over the past 30 years who have brought joy and meaning to my life. Watching you grow as players and as men is the real highlight of my career.
“And then to get an award named for Tex, who in my estimation was one of the titans of basketball, one of the seminal figures in the game who had a brilliant collegiate career—I coached against him when I was at Fresno State and he was at Long Beach State—and was a master teacher in so many ways. He was the example for anyone around him and all of us who played against his teams, a basketball man through and through. Because Tex was a proponent that something a lot of the older coaches believed in, doing things the right way. Whether it be execution, fundamentals, and unapologetic about coaching everyone the same way. Reflecting what a coach is and should be.
“We’re all a compilation of the people before us, and for me Tex was one of those people,” said Adams. “Bob Kloppenburg was another person who influenced my coaching career. They both played at USC under Sam Barry, who taught them the triangle offense that Tex perfected in the NBA. They actually did a series of clinics together that I attended. Bob would do defense and Tex would do offense, and there weren’t two more precise people in terms of their teaching, the way they viewed and understood the game. That was how people like me were enlightened about the game and the teaching that we love.”
The erudite Adams who is as comfortable with fine wine and literature as well as first class defense came to the Bulls in 2003 and was a significant part of two revivals that first carried the Bulls from the depths of the barren post championship years to being a respected Eastern Conference contender than flirted with 50 wins several seasons. And then upset the defending champion Miami Heat in the playoffs.
Adams, now 74 and still on the Warriors’ staff, was the architect of the Bulls defensive sinew under Scott Skiles, and then with Skiles’ departure left to assist Scott Brooks in Oklahoma City. It was there that Adams’ gravitas toward the game made such an impression on Kevin Durant that when Durant opted to sign as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors, Durant said at his introductory press conference one of the reasons he came to the Warriors was to be united again with Adams.
The criteria for the award, according to the association, is a minimum of 15 years as an NBA assistant coach, a body of work as a coach that has impacted the chemistry, culture, and competitive capability of the teams he/she was a part of. And recognized by his/her peers for being a “go-to” assistant coach.
“Ron Adams embodies everything that makes a great coach,” said Rick Carlisle, Indiana Pacers coach and president of the NBCA, in a statement. “He is passionate about teaching, has a great basketball IQ, a tireless work ethic, fierce loyalty and a deep love for the game.”
Adams long has been one of the most sought after NBA assistant coaches for his defensive expertise that also has been a lesser celebrated bulwark of the Warriors’ success. He was voted Best Assistant four consecutive years in the annual NBA general manager survey. Adams has been a vital part of four championships, moving in the shadows of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as Winter did with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
“Assistant Coaches generally operate behind the scenes and don’t receive nearly enough public recognition for their team’s success. However, any head coach will tell you that they are an indispensable part of the team equation,” said David Fogel, NBCA Executive Director. “Coach Adams’ contributions to the success of his teams, most recently the Golden State Warriors, are well known inside the NBA. Off the court, Ron’s sage advice and wisdom has helped many players, coaches, and executives excel in their own careers.”
Adams began coaching at Fresno Pacific College in 1969 and coached in college 22 years before being hired by Jerry Tarkanian during his brief stop with the San Antonio Spurs in 1992. Adams won a title as a coach in Belgium and has been as assistant with the Spurs, Bucks, 76ers and Celtics in addition to the Bulls. He was hired by Steve Kerr as soon as Kerr came to the Warriors in 2014, Kerr getting permission from then Celtics coach Brad Stevens to let Adams out of his contact because of Adams’ defensive expertise.
“When I hired him I wanted the best defensive mind I could find,” Kerr wrote in an email. “I needed his experience since I had none. He has been amazing, from helping shape our defensive identity to giving me ‘head coaching advice.’ Most of all he’s a wonderful human being who I love seeing and talking with every day.”
When Tom Thibodeau was hired to continue that Bulls early 2000s rise that was interrupted with Skiles’ departure, his first hire was Adams for his minimalist and organic methods that Winter helped inspire. The basketball alchemy with Adams helping shape the defense as Thibodeau created more offense enabled those 2010-12 Bulls to lead the NBA in wins consecutive seasons. Sure, they had MVP Derrick Rose, but they also had one of the more feared and effective defenses in the NBA quietly directed by Adams.
“These guys like Tex were extraordinary figures who influenced many people and helped many players,” said Adams. “His influence over so many people, for example John Paxson, was profound. John believed in coaching. John believed in doing it the right way, and that was one of the major reasons those Bulls teams had so much success despite so many injuries.
“There were expectations when I came to Chicago along those lines,” recalled Adams. “I felt I fit hand in glove with that idea. People like Tex and Phil were such tremendous figures to follow in a proud program that had floundered for a number of years. And that’s why I think one of my most enjoyable times in the NBA was in Chicago when we kind of rose up, no pun intended, from the ashes and became close to a championship team again. Not quite there, but a really good team with coaches believed in the image of Tex who believed in and taught the small things as Tex did. And believed in team basketball and defense.
“Tex’ legacy was profound when I entered the program in Chicago,” said Adams. “So to receive an award like this that has his name attached to it makes it so much more extra special.”