The San Antonio Spurs are bringing aboard Scott King, currently the Knicks’ assistant director of player development, to serve as the new head coach for their G-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. The move, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, marks a significant step in King’s coaching career.
King’s rise in the NBA coaching ranks has been swift. After spending the last year focused on player development for the Knicks, he gained valuable experience as an assistant video coordinator under head coach Tom Thibodeau, a role he held for four seasons starting in 2019-20. His work in New York helped shape the development of key players, but it was an incident involving star forward Julius Randle that brought King into the spotlight.
During a heated exchange in a February 2022 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Randle, visibly frustrated, slapped King’s laptop during a tense moment on the bench. The altercation required assistant coaches to step in and defuse the situation. Randle later downplayed the incident, saying, “Nothing. Stuff like that happens all the time. Honestly, there’s heated exchanges and arguments throughout a game, but it’s all coming from a good place. Everybody wants to win. Everybody’s challenging each other to win. It’s fine. I slapped his laptop today, too. I wasn’t mad, but I slapped it.”
Despite the public nature of the altercation, King’s reputation as a hard-working and effective coach remained intact, leading to this new opportunity with the Spurs.
King’s coaching journey began humbly. He got his start in the NBA as a video intern with the Detroit Pistons during the 2018-19 season, after spending time working with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers’ G-League team, in 2017-18. His experience with the Mad Ants will serve him well as he takes on his second stint in the G-League, this time with the Austin Spurs.
Before transitioning into coaching, King played college basketball at Stony Brook before transferring to Fairfield, where he completed his collegiate career. His journey from a Division I role player to an NBA coach exemplifies the determination and resilience that has characterized his career thus far.
The Austin Spurs are a critical component of San Antonio’s player development pipeline, and the team will be looking to King to continue the tradition of nurturing young talent that eventually contributes at the NBA level. For King, this position represents a significant opportunity to showcase his leadership and coaching abilities on a larger stage.
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