The Golden State Warriors have hired a pair of longtime NBA coaches and a recently retired NBA veteran to join Head Coach Steve Kerr on the bench, naming Alvin Gentry as associate head coach, along with Ron Adams and Luke Walton as assistant coaches, the team announced today. Additionally, the team has hired former NBA center Jarron Collins and former coach/scout Bruce Fraser as player development coaches. Per team policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
“We’ve assembled a terrific coaching and player development staff that will feature a solid mix of experience and youth,” said Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. “Alvin and Ron are two highly-respected coaches who provide a wealth of NBA bench experience, which is extremely important to me as I enter my initial season. Luke and Jarron completed productive NBA careers in recent years that were highlighted by an abundance of winning, while Bruce has garnered well-rounded experience and expertise at both the NBA and collegiate levels. I’m really excited about the intangibles these gentlemen will bring to our team and I know they will serve as tremendous assets to me and our players.”
Gentry, 59, brings 25 seasons of NBA coaching experience to the Warriors, including parts of 12 seasons as head coach for the Phoenix Suns (2009-13), Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03), Detroit Pistons (1998-00) and Miami Heat (1995). He served last season as associate head coach of the Clippers, who led the NBA in scoring (107.9 points per game) and offensive rating (109.4).
In Golden State, Gentry is reunited with Kerr, who served as the Suns’ general manager during Gentry’s first two seasons as Phoenix’s head coach. Under the duo’s guidance in 2009-10, Phoenix averaged a league-best 110.2 points per game en route to a 54-28 record (.659) and a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Gentry posted a 158-144 mark (.523) in five seasons as head coach with the Suns, the fifth-most wins in franchise history, before mutually parting ways with the team midway through the 2012-13 campaign. In 12 NBA seasons overall as a head coach in the NBA, Gentry has compiled a career record of 335-370 (.475).
In addition to his NBA experience, the Shelby, NC, native owns six years of college coaching experience, including a National Championship in 1988 as a member of Larry Brown’s staff at the University of Kansas. Gentry began his NBA coaching career the following season, 1988-89, as a member of Brown’s staff with the San Antonio Spurs.
Adams, 66, owns 20 seasons of experience on the bench as an NBA assistant coach for the Boston Celtics (2013-14), Chicago Bulls (2003-08, 2010-13), Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-10), Milwaukee Bucks (1998-2003), Philadelphia 76ers (1994-96) and San Antonio Spurs (1992-94). During his time as an assistant coach, Adams has made 13 appearances in the NBA Playoffs. In addition to his coaching roles, the Laton, CA, native also served as a player personnel scout for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1996-98.
Before the NBA, Adams coached collegiately for 20 years with head coaching stints at Fresno State (1986-90) and his alma mater, Fresno Pacific (1972-75). He also served as an assistant coach at U.S. International, UC-Santa Barbara, UNLV and at both Fresno schools. Additionally, Adams has coached professionally in Belgium and Japan, as well as for the national teams of Canada and Belgium.
Walton, 34, enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career (2003-13), averaging 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 564 regular-season games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Originally selected by the Lakers with the 32nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the University of Arizona product played the first eight-plus seasons of his career in Los Angeles, winning NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010. After finishing his NBA career, Walton served last season as a player development coach for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. The San Diego native also served as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis during the 2011 NBA Lockout.
Collins, 35, played 10 seasons in the NBA (five playoff appearances), posting career averages of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 542 regular-season games with the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. Selected out of Stanford by the Jazz with the 53rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Collins spent the first eight seasons of his career in Utah before joining the Suns in 2009-10 during Kerr’s final season as the team’s GM. After finishing his playing career in 2010-11, the Northridge, CA, native has worked the last two seasons as a personnel scout for the Clippers, and has also worked as a television analyst for several outlets, including Pac-12 Networks, ESPNU and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Fraser, 48, has coaching experience at both the college and professional levels, having worked at the University of Arizona under Lute Olson (1987-90), the University of Missouri under Quin Snyder (1999-2000) and the Indiana Pacers under Larry Brown (1994-95). Additionally, he served as a scout for the Phoenix Suns from 2004-10. The Long Beach, CA, native was a teammate of Kerr’s at the University of Arizona, where Fraser played from 1983-87.