Pelicans Coach Willie Green, James Borrego Have Unique Magic Connection

The Orlando Magic once had James Borrego coaching Willie Green. Now, the pair are working together with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 4, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The New Orleans Pelicans are making changes to their coaching staff, hiring James Borrego as the team's associate head coach.

Borrego, 45, has a strong two-decade career on the sidelines in the NBA, coaching for the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic.

Borrego coached three seasons with the Magic from 2012-15 on Jacque Vaughn's staff. After Vaughn was fired on Feb. 5, 2015, Borrego stepped up as the interim coach, the first primary coaching job when he was 37 years old.

Borrego went 10-20 in the final 30 games of the 2014-15 campaign for a Magic team that had a lot of young pieces, many of whom are still thriving in the NBA. But the team also had some veterans to mentor the young guys, including Willie Green, who just hired Borrego to be his lead assistant.

Borrego and Green go even further back on their NBA journeys. Borrego coached Green for the 2010-11 season with the New Orleans Hornets.

The NBA is often considered a brotherhood, and this is another reason why. Relationships that go back decades can often have an impact on how future jobs can come about.

Now, Borrego and Green hope they can make some magic in New Orleans.

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Published Jun 4, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.