Michael Longabardi[1] (born February 23, 1973) is an American basketball assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the head coach for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He was previously an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, winning an NBA Finals championship with both the Celtics and Cavaliers.
| Delaware Blue Coats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 23, 1973 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Philadelphia 76ers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Career information | |
| High school | Xaverian (Brooklyn) |
| College |
|
| Coaching career | 1996–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1996–1997 | Pfeiffer (assistant) |
| 1997–1999 | Adelphi (assistant) |
| 1999 | Adelphi (interim) |
| 1999–2002 | Lafayette (assistant) |
| 2002–2003 | Towson (assistant) |
| 2003–2007 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 2007–2013 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 2013–2015 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2016–2019 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant/assoc. HC) |
| 2019–2021 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| 2021–2022 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2022–2023 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 2023–present | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2023–present | →Delaware Blue Coats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As assistant coach:
| |
Early life and college career
editLongabardi was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Xaverian High School, a private Catholic school. He went on to play basketball at Newberry College where he earned the nickname "Mr. Defense." After two years at Newberry College, Longabardi transferred to Frostburg State University. He graduated from Frostburg State with a bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education.
College coaching career
editLongabardi began his career as an assistant head coach for Pfeiffer University. After one season at Pfeiffer, Longabardi took a position as assistant coach at Adelphi University. Adelphi made two consecutive NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship appearances in 1998 and 1999.
In 2000, he took a job as an assistant coach at Lafayette College, where he helped guide the team to a Patriot League Title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2002, he became an assistant coach at Towson University.
NBA coaching career
editHouston Rockets
editDuring the summer of 2001, Longabardi helped coach the NACEL Open Door College All-Star Team with Bill Van Gundy, the father of both Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Van Gundy. When Jeff Van Gundy was hired as the new head coach of the Houston Rockets in 2003, he hired Longabardi to join the staff.
In his first year in Houston, he was as the assistant video coordinator and one year later he was promoted to lead video coordinator.[2]
Boston Celtics
editIn 2007, Longabardi was hired by the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach. He worked under Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau. In his first season with the Celtics, the team went on to win the NBA Championship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2.
In 2009, Longabardi became the Celtics full-time defensive coordinator.
Phoenix Suns
editOn June 25, 2013, Longabardi became an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns under head coach Jeff Hornacek.[3] In Longabardi's first year, the Suns had a record of 48–34, which was a drastic improvement from the previous year (25–57).
Cleveland Cavaliers
editIn 2016, Longabardi was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers to be their defensive coordinator under head coach Tyronn Lue.[4] In his first year with the team, the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship.
Washington Wizards
editOn August 1, 2019, Longabardi was hired as an assistant coach by the Washington Wizards under head coach Scott Brooks.[5]
Sacramento Kings
editOn August 16, 2021, Longabardi was hired by the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach.
Atlanta Hawks
editOn July 8, 2022, Longabardi was hired by the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant coach.[6]
Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats
editOn September 5, 2023, Longabardi became an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and the head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats.[7]
References
edit- ^ "goleopards.com Mike Longabardi Bio - Lafayette Leopards Official Athletic Site Lafayette Leopards Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball". goleopards.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "NBA.com Mike Longabardi". nba.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "Suns Announce Coaching, Scouting Staff Additions | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE PHOENIX SUNS". NBA.com. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^ "Cavs Hire Mike Longabardi as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ "Wizards announce additions to coaching staff". NBA.com. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hawks Name Mike Longabardi as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "2023-24 Coaching Staff Announced". NBA.com. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.