Well earned and deserved
On Wednesday, former Notre Dame forward Monty Williams was named as the NBA Coach of the Year for his incredible job with the Phoenix Suns.
Leadership. Mentorship. Companionship.
Congratulations, Coach Monty Williams, on earning the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/XPpJdYhhZ4
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 9, 2022
Williams was a star for the Irish basketball team in the early nineties and became an NBA First Round Draft pick in 1994 when the New York Knicks took him with the 24th pick overall. During his nine year NBA career, Williams played for the Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Williams began his coaching career just a few years after he stopped playing, and became an assistant with the Portland Trailblazers. In 2010, he became the youngest head coach in the NBA when he took the job with the New Orleans Hornets — later to become the New Orleans Pelicans. After assistant stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the 76ers, he was signed as the head coach of the Suns in 2019.
After a rocky first year, Williams has made the Suns a power in the West. This season the Suns are 64-18 and in great shape to make a run to win the NBA Championship.
Congrats Monty!
“This is so stinkin’ cool.”
The @Suns surprised Monty Williams with his Coach of the Year award pic.twitter.com/evHTg4brYu
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 9, 2022