OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 2, 2019 – The Oklahoma City Thunder named Grant Gibbs as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Grant is someone we identified early in his post-playing career as a potential fit within our organization,” said Presti. “He has steadily impressed us with his versatility as a coach. We believe he will do an excellent job with the Blue and is ready to continue his growth within the organization.”
Gibbs is promoted to the head coach position after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Blue. In his time on the bench, the team went 62-38 (.620) and advanced to the playoffs in both years.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take on this role with the Blue and continue to be part of the Thunder organization,” said Gibbs. “Getting to work with our players and help them improve on a daily basis is something that I’m very committed to, and I’m looking forward to building on what has been established here.”
Gibbs began his coaching career with the Blue after a three-year international playing career. He played in the Netherlands and Germany after graduating from Creighton with a degree in journalism.
The Iowa native began his collegiate career at Gonzaga then transferred to Creighton after two seasons with the Bulldogs. He played in 100 games and averaged 7.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds as the Bluejays appeared in the NCAA tournament in each of his seasons with the team.
Gibbs replaces Mark Daigneault as head coach of the Blue. Daigneault accepted an assistant coaching position on Billy Donovan’s staff last month, becoming the fourth-straight head coach of the Thunder’s G League affiliate to make the move to an NBA bench.