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Getty James Posey von den Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in last year’s NBA Finals, missing just two wins to win their first championship in 14 years. The last time they could win everything was in the 2007/08 season.
That season, the Celtics were led by the legendary trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, with Rajon Rondo serving as the fourth honorary member of the Big 3. Aside from those four, however, this team had many other key contributors, and one of them just got another job in the NBA.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Washington Wizards are hiring former Celtics champion James Posey as an assistant coach. Posey spent 12 years in the NBA with seven different teams – Celtics, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers.
The Washington Wizards are finalizing a deal to hire James Posey as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) 22. Juli 2022
The 45-year-old has NBA experience as a coach and has also proven himself in the college ranks. As described by Wojnarowski, Posey’s time as a player and coach prepared him for this opportunity with the Wizards under Wes Unseld Jr.
Posey’s coaching and gaming experience
In a secondary tweet from Wojnarowski, the ESPN insider detailed Posey’s experience as a coach and player that led him to this point. He has held coaching positions in the NBA and NCAA and also won two championships during his time as a player.
“Posey spent five years with the Cleveland Cavaliers under Ty Lue and David Blatt last season as an assistant in the UVA women’s basketball program. Posey has won two championships (Miami 2006, Boston 2008) in his 12-year NBA career,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
Posey spent five years with the Cleveland Cavaliers under Ty Lue and David Blatt last season as an assistant in the UVA women’s basketball program. Posey won two championships (Miami 2006, Boston 2008) during his 12-year NBA career.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) 22. Juli 2022
While with the Cavaliers, Posey was part of the 2016 NBA championship team led by LeBron James. He was an assistant at Cleveland from the 2014–15 season through the 2018–19 season.
The NBA veteran also has experience from his time with the University of Virginia women’s basketball program. He was an assistant coach under Tina Thompson, who had a few kind words for Posey when he joined her staff.
Thompson on Posey: “A Teaching Spirit”
When Posey joined Virginia’s staff last summer, Thompson had a lot of good things to say about the NBA veteran. According to her, he is a great teacher, has tremendous knowledge of the game and is what she would call a basketball purist.
“Coach Posey is what we call a purist,” Thomspon explained. “He loves all aspects of the game and has played it at the highest level. He brings a championship mentality, wealth of knowledge and teaching spirit, with development being his specialty and passion. Our student-athletes will be blessed recipients of this knowledge. I’m looking for someone who will jump right in with their energy and expertise and make an immediate difference. We are very excited to welcome Coach Posey to Wahoo Nation!”
The Celtics champion will now get a chance to train under Unseld Jr. as the Wizards look to push for the playoffs with Bradley Beal at the helm. Beal has just been signed for a massive contract extension, so building a competitive team around him will likely be Washington’s top priority, and Posey will look to help them with that goal.
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