PHOENIX – Led by Head Coach Monty Williams, the Phoenix Suns coaching staff will coach Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20 in Cleveland. With tonight’s victory over San Antonio, the Suns clinched the best record in the Western Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 6, earning the spot to coach Team LeBron.
This will mark the fifth time in franchise history the Suns coaching staff will work the NBA All-Star Game, joining 1981 (John MacLeod), 1993 (Paul Westphal), 1995 (Westphal) and 2007 (Mike D’Antoni). The game will be the first All-Star coaching experience for all but two of the coaches on the Suns staff, as Randy Ayers (Philadelphia in 2001) and Mark Bryant (Oklahoma City in 2012 and 2014) have served on the staffs in previous All-Star Games.
After guiding the team to a Western Conference Championship and berth in the 2021 NBA Finals, Williams and his staff currently have the Suns at a league-best 40-9 record this season, the best start in franchise history through the first 49 games of a season. The Suns set a franchise record with an 18-game winning streak earlier this season and have currently won 10 straight, just the second time in Suns history the team has had multiple winning streaks of at least 10 games in a single season (2006-07). The Suns currently rank in the top three in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating.
The coaching staffs in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game will lead the team that includes the captain from the same conference; Williams and his staff will coach the All-Star team captained by the Western Conference’s leader in fan voting, the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James. The eligible coaching staff with the best record through Feb. 6 in the Eastern Conference will coach Team Durant.
Reserves for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game will be announced on TNT on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 5:00 p.m. MT and the captains will draft the team rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves during the NBA All-Star Draft on TNT on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m. MT.
The 71st NBA All-Star Game is part of NBA All-Star 2022 from Feb. 18-20 in Cleveland. The All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6:00 p.m. MT and will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio.