NBA Rumors: Pelicans Plan to Hire Former Sixer Willie Green as Head Coach

The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly plan to hire former Sixers player Willie Green as their new head coach.

Justin Grasso | Jul 13, 2021

NBA Rumors: Pelicans Plan to Hire Former Sixer Willie Green as Head Coach /

A former Philadelphia 76ers player could soon become a head coach in the NBA. According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, the New Orleans Pelicans have been eyeing up former Sixers guard Willie Green as they search for a new head coach after Stan Van Gundy's lone season running the show.

At this point, it seems there is only a matter of time before the Pelicans make it official. Per Charania's latest league-wide news dump, the Pelicans are already planning to hire Green, who serves as an assistant to Monty Williams with the Phoenix Suns.

Although he's just 39-years-old, Green has a long history in the NBA. After wrapping up his college playing stint at the University of Detroit Mercy in 2003, Green was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. Despite being selected by the Seattle SuperSonics, Green was flipped to Philadelphia on the same night.

With the Sixers, Green made a name for himself early as a reliable bench piece and spent the majority of his career coming off the 76ers' bench. After spending seven seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, Green was traded to the New Orleans Hornets during the 2010 offseason.

For the next five seasons, Green bounced around the NBA. After his lone season in New Orleans, the veteran guard signed with the Atlanta Hawks and was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. After spending two seasons out West, Green joined the Orlando Magic, where he played the final 52 games of his career.

Following a solid playing career, Green jumped right into coaching. In 2016, he joined the Golden State Warriors' staff as an assistant. Then in 2019, he linked up with Monty Williams in Phoenix, where they're currently on an NBA Finals run. While Green has been a critical addition to Williams' staff, it's now time for him to get an opportunity to run things on his own. It seems he'll be doing that next season in New Orleans.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

Published Jul 13, 2021

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA