New Zealand Club Hires Decorated NBA Assistant as Head Coach

A seasoned NBA vet is heading abroad for his next opportunity.

Apr 3, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum (3) warms up with Blazers coach Jonathan Yim before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Former NBA assistant Jonathan Yim is venturing abroad for a head coaching opportunity.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Yim is joining New Zealand pro club the Southland Sharks, who play in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). Haynes notes that Yim has served on the staffs of the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Charlotte Hornets.

Yim, a good fellow on X, got his start serving as a shooting instructor and trainer with Bob Thate with ABC's of Shooting from 2008-12, according to his LinkedIn.

He got his first NBA experience as a video intern for the Clippers from 2011-12 (apparently while pulling double duty during for ABC's of Shooting). That lockout-shortened season marked the debut of the Clippers' "Lob City" era. Then-All-NBA point guard Chris Paul served as a perfect passing partner for All-Star big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The club finished 40-26 and secured the Western Conference's fifth seed, ultimately winning a seven-game first round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep.

Following his season in L.A., Yim moved on to a nine-year run with the Portland Trail Blazers. He initially worked as the club's head video coordinator, from 2012-16, before moving on to a gig as the team's player development coach under head coach Terry Stotts.

Yim's run there covered the entirety of All-NBA former Blazers point guard Damian Lillard's eight playoff appearances with the squad, which included a run to the 2019 Western Conference Finals.

He moved on to an assistant coach role on the South Bay Lakers, the Los Angeles Lakers' El Segundo-based NBAGL affiliate squad. South Bay posted a cumulative 60-38 record during his run, from 2021-23.

Most recently, Yim worked as an assistant coach on Charlotte's G League club, the Greensboro Swarm, for the 2023-24 season under Jordan Surenkamp.

The Sharks have won three championships since the 2013 season. The team hasn't made the NBL playoffs since 2019, and clearly is hoping an experienced NBA vet will help change its fortunes.

Southland stages its home games in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. Former two-time NZNBL champion guard Kevin Braswell and 2011 NZNBL MVP center Alex Pledger possess the club's only two retired jerseys thus far. With a little help from Yim, perhaps further additions will be raised to the rafters.

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