Sixers assistant Sam Cassell interviews for Washington Wizards head coaching position
As a Wizards assistant coach , Cassell was credited with developing John Wall into one of the league’s elite guards.
It’s no secret that Sam Cassell is in the mix for the Washington Wizards’ head coaching position.
Well, the process has begun for the 76ers assistant coach.
Cassell interviewed for the Washington job on Tuesday, according to several league sources. The Athletic was first to report the news.
The Wizards’ job became vacant after the organization and former coach Scott Brooks failed to come to an agreement on a new deal on June 16.
Washington finished the season with a 34-38 record. The Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference’s eighth-place play-in game before losing to the Sixers in five games in an opening-round series.
The Washington job would be close to a homecoming for the Baltimore native.
Following a 15-year NBA playing career, Cassell joined Flip Saunders’ Wizards coaching staff on May 21, 2009. While in Washington, Cassell was credited with developing John Wall into one of the league’s elite guards.
After five seasons with the Wizards, Cassell reunited with coach Doc Rivers on the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant. He followed Rivers to Philadelphia after the coach was hired in October.
Cassell has been instrumental in Ben Simmons’ development as a multifaceted standout.
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He was also a candidate for the head coaching job with the Boston Celtics before they hired former Sixers assistant Ime Udoka last week. Cassell played in Boston in his final NBA season, in 2007-08. Boston won the NBA title that season under Rivers.
Cassell also won back-to-back titles with the Houston Rockets in 1993-94 and in 1994-95, his first two years in the league.
Anthony wins social justice champion award
Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony has been named the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.
He won the award for his dedication over the last year to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s mission to engage, empower, and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been marginalized and/or systemically disadvantaged.
Sixers forward Tobias Harris was a finalist for the award.