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Joe Prunty
Joe Prunty
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Joe Prunty (born February 12, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he served as an assistant coach and interim head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks. He was also the head coach of the Great Britain national team from June 2013 until September 2017.[1][2]

Key Information

Early career

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Prunty was born in Sunnyvale, California, and graduated from Fremont High School. He played college basketball at De Anza College in Cupertino, California before going on to earn a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He began his coaching career in 1992 in San Diego, California, coaching at University of San Diego High School and St. Augustine High School. During his time as a high school coach, former Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton, former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior, and former Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin were among his players.[3][4] Before being a professional basketball coach, he previously worked as a beer salesman for Anheuser-Busch products in San Diego.[5]

NBA coaching career

[edit]

While coaching at the high school level, former University of San Diego head coach Hank Egan informed Prunty of a possible opening in the San Antonio Spurs organization.[6] Based on this tip, Prunty joined the coaching staff of the Spurs as an assistant video coordinator. He left briefly in April 1997 to become an assistant coach at the University of San Diego but returned to the Spurs for the 1997–1998 season, eventually being promoted to assistant coach in 2000.[4] During his time with the Spurs, the team won championships in 1999, 2003, and 2005.

In 2006, he left San Antonio to become a Dallas Mavericks assistant coach, becoming a part of the staff of former Spurs player Avery Johnson. The team made it to the 2006 NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat in six games.[7] The team ended the 2006–07 season with the best record in the league, led by MVP Dirk Nowitzki, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Don Nelson's Golden State Warriors.[8] Prunty left the Mavericks for the Portland Trail Blazers[9][10] in 2008 when Avery Johnson was fired[11] and replaced with Rick Carlisle.[12]

While Prunty was a member of the Trail Blazers' coaching staff, the team had back-to-back 50 win seasons for the first time since the 1999–2000 and 2000–01 NBA seasons. He also served as the Blazers' head coach during the NBA Summer League in 2008 and 2009.[9] He joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach in 2010, spending three seasons as a member of Byron Scott's team. On August 20, 2013, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Brooklyn Nets.[13] Nets' head coach Jason Kidd was suspended for the first two games of the season after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge stemming from an incident in July 2012.[14] Kidd named Prunty to serve as acting head coach for the team's season opener against Cleveland Cavaliers and their home opener against Miami Heat. The team went 1–1 in these games with a loss against Cleveland and a win against Miami.

Kidd left the Nets for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014 and Prunty joined the staff there. On December 23, 2015, Prunty was named the interim head coach for 17 games as Kidd underwent hip surgery.[15] The team went 8–9 during that time,[16] a significant improvement after beginning the season 10–18. With Prunty at the helm, the team played at a faster pace with a greater emphasis on offensive rebounds, which resulted in a much improved offensive rating.[17] The Bucks reached the playoffs during the 2016–17 season, losing to the Toronto Raptors in six games. After beginning the 2017–18 season with a disappointing 23–22 record and falling to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, head coach Kidd was fired,[18] and Prunty was named interim head coach on January 22, 2018, before they began their game against the Phoenix Suns.[19] After winning that game, for the rest of the season onward, the Bucks would improve just enough to gain the 7th seed of the Eastern Conference in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, facing against the Boston Celtics in the first round. While Milwaukee would be competitive throughout the series, they would ultimately lose the first round 4–3. Prunty would remain with the Bucks until May 17, when Mike Budenholzer would be named his replacement. On June 27, 2018, Prunty was hired by the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach.[20] He along with other Suns assistants were relieved of their duties in April 2019, following the firing of head coach Igor Kokoškov.[21] He did not coach in the NBA for the next two seasons, but served as the head coach for the United States men's national basketball team during the third window of qualification for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup in February 2021.[22] On June 23, 2021, Suns coach Monty Williams credited Prunty as being a partial inspiration for a Western Conference Finals game-winning inbounds alley-oop play set up between Jae Crowder and Deandre Ayton.[23]

On July 23, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks announced that Prunty would be joining Nate McMillan's staff as an assistant coach.[24] With McMillan and lead assistant Chris Jent entering health and safety protocols, Prunty served as acting head coach[25] for three games of a west coast road trip in January 2022. The team went 1–2 during that time, securing a 108–102 win against the Sacramento Kings on January 5.[26] With the departure of Jent during the offseason, Prunty was named the team's lead assistant in the summer of 2022.[27] For the Hawks' 123–122 dramatic overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls on December 11, 2022, Prunty drew up the play that led to AJ Griffin sinking a game winning layup with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.[28] He was named interim head coach on February 21, 2023, after McMillan's firing.[29][30] The team went 2–0 during his tenure as interim head coach with victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets. On February 26, Prunty's tenure as interim head coach came to an end when Quin Snyder was named head coach of the Hawks.[31]

On June 28, 2023, it was revealed that Prunty would rejoin the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach, joining Adrian Griffin's staff.[32] On January 23, 2024, Prunty was named the interim head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, following the firing of Griffin.[33] Prunty served as interim coach for three games, until the Bucks hired Doc Rivers as head coach.[34]

On July 5, 2025 it was reported that Prunty was leaving the Bucks for the Orlando Magic, becoming an assistant coach on Jamahl Mosley's staff.[35]

National team career

[edit]

Prunty was named the head coach of the Great Britain men's national team in June 2013 after an extensive interview process following Chris Finch's resignation. The choice was initially somewhat controversial as Prunty had little previous international coaching experience.[36] Prunty's first campaign as GB head coach was summer 2013. Despite being without top players Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Joel Freeland, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Prunty began his tenure with a 61–55 win over Puerto Rico in an International Test Match at The Copper Box Arena, London. The team went on to upset Israel in their first game of Eurobasket 2013, earning a dramatic overtime victory.[37] However, Great Britain ended the group phase with a 2–3 record, not good enough to advance. Because of this result, UK Sport cut its funding for the team.

Despite the future of the British national team looking bleak due to the budget constraints, Prunty stayed on as coach as the team attempted to qualify for Eurobasket 2015. The cut in funding meant the team could not afford the insurance costs required to recruit top players, had to cancel training camp, and required players to sleep in dorm beds and live on £15 a day.[38] After losses to Bosnia and Iceland, the team failed to qualify for the tournament.[39]

With funding from Sport England,[40] the team set out in 2016 to qualify for Eurobasket 2017. Their 3–3 record in their group was good enough to ensure that they were one of the four top runners-up in all of the qualifying groups. For the 2017 tournament, they ended up in the very tough Group D, facing off against Belgium, Latvia, Russia, Serbia, and hosts Turkey.[41] Despite keeping most of the games close, the team went 0–5 at the tournament and were not able to advance to the knockout phase.[42]

Due to changes from FIBA in the qualifying process for the upcoming World Cup and Olympics that conflict with the NBA,[43] Prunty was forced to step down as head coach of the Great Britain men's national team after Eurobasket 2017. Under Prunty's tenure, the team went 12–42 overall with a 5–15 record in FIBA games.[44] Despite the lackluster record, Prunty is credited with creating a close communication culture within the team that kept the program afloat during difficult times, with at least one player on record saying he would not have considered playing for the team without Prunty as head coach.[45][46]

Head coaching record

[edit]

NBA

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Milwaukee 2017–18 37 21 16 .568 3rd in Central 7 3 4 .429 Lost in First Round
Atlanta 2022–23 2 2 0 1.000 (interim)
Milwaukee 2023–24 3 2 1 .667 (interim)
Career 42 25 17 .595   7 3 4 .429  

Personal life

[edit]

Prunty and his wife, Laura, have two children.[4][47]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Joe Prunty (born February 12, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach with over 25 years of experience in the (NBA), primarily as an assistant coach, including three NBA championships as part of the staff in 1999, 2003, and 2005. He has also served as interim head coach for the in 2018 and 2024, and the in 2023, compiling a regular-season record of 25 wins and 17 losses across those stints. Born in , Prunty attended , where he played basketball, and earned a B.A. in speech communications from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His coaching career began in 1992 at the high school level with the University of San Diego High School and St. Augustine High School in . He entered the NBA in 1996 as an assistant video coordinator with the Spurs under , advancing through various assistant roles over the next nine seasons and contributing to the team's early dynasty. Following his time in San Antonio, Prunty joined the as an assistant from 2005 to 2008, helping the team reach the in 2006. He continued his career with stints as an assistant for the (2008–2010), (2010–2013), (2013–2014), and a return to the Bucks (2014–2018), where he briefly took over as interim after Jason Kidd's firing, leading the team to a 21–16 record and a playoff appearance. After assisting the (2018–2019) and for USA Basketball's Men's AmeriCup Qualifying team in 2021, Prunty served as an assistant and interim for the Hawks (2021–2023), posting a 2–0 regular-season record in his interim stint. He rejoined the Bucks as an assistant from 2023 to 2025, including a brief interim role in January 2024 (2–1 record), before joining the as an assistant in July 2025, marking his tenth NBA team.

Background

Early life and education

Joe Prunty was born on February 12, 1969, in Sunnyvale, California. He grew up in the region and attended Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, where he graduated and first developed an interest in basketball through playing the sport. After high school, Prunty pursued college basketball at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. He later transferred to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), where he earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications in 1991. Following graduation, Prunty took his first job in as a beer salesman for , starting in merchandising before moving into sales. He held this position until deciding to pursue a career in coaching.

Personal life

Joe Prunty married Laura Marie Green in the summer of 2002. The couple has two children: a son, Luke Joseph, born in 2009, and a daughter, Emma Lorraine, born in July 2012. Despite the frequent relocations and extensive travel demands of Prunty's NBA coaching career, the family has maintained a close-knit support system, with Prunty emphasizing the importance of quality time at home. "One of the things that I try to do more than anything is make sure I still spend as much time with my family as I possibly can," he stated in 2018.

Early coaching career

High school coaching

Joe Prunty began his coaching career in 1992 at High School in , , where he served as the freshman team coach and a varsity assistant until 1994. In this role, Prunty focused on player development, emphasizing skills such as passing and playmaking for emerging talents, including future NBA player , who joined the program as a freshman during Prunty's tenure. He also contributed to team strategy, helping build a competitive program that valued high basketball IQ and teamwork among players. From 1994 to 1996, Prunty continued his high school coaching at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, where he maintained responsibilities in player development and team strategy, guiding young athletes through skill-building drills and tactical preparations for games. Prior to committing fully to coaching, Prunty worked as a beer salesman for Anheuser-Busch in San Diego after graduating from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor's degree in speech communications in 1991; he began high school coaching part-time while in sales, driven by his passion for basketball and the relationship-building skills transferable from merchandising to mentoring players. His communications background further supported his ability to effectively communicate strategies and foster team cohesion during these early coaching years.

Transition to professional basketball

After coaching high school basketball in from 1992 to 1996, where he developed foundational skills in player development and team strategy, Joe Prunty transitioned to the professional level through a key connection in the community. In 1996, former Hank Egan, who had recently joined the staff, recommended Prunty for an opening and informed him of the opportunity. This led to Prunty's hiring as an assistant video coordinator under new , marking his entry into the NBA. In this initial role, Prunty focused on video coordination and scouting, tasks that involved breaking down game film and analyzing opponents to support the Spurs' tactical preparations during their formative years under Popovich. These responsibilities provided him with his first hands-on exposure to NBA operations, including the league's professional workflows, player management, and the Spurs' emerging emphasis on discipline and team-oriented play. In 1997, Prunty briefly served as a part-time assistant coach at the before returning to the Spurs for the 1997–98 season. Prunty's immersion in San Antonio's championship culture from the outset allowed him to absorb Popovich's philosophy of sustained excellence, which prioritized fundamentals, adaptability, and long-term development over short-term gains.

NBA coaching career

Assistant coaching positions

Joe Prunty began his NBA coaching career with the in 1996 as an assistant video coordinator, advancing to roles including assistant coach and advance scout by the early . During his nine-year tenure through 2005, he contributed to the team's offensive schemes under head coaches and , helping secure NBA championships in 1999, 2003, and 2005. In 2005, Prunty joined the as an assistant coach, serving through the 2007-08 season under . His work supported the team's deep playoff run, including a sweep of the Spurs in the first round and an appearance in the , where they lost to the . Prunty moved to the in 2008 as an assistant under , remaining until 2010. He aided in player development during a period of team resurgence, contributing to back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2008-09 (54 wins) and 2009-10 (50 wins), with the latter marred by injuries to key players like . From 2010 to 2013, Prunty served as an assistant with the under , focusing on offensive strategies during the post-LeBron James rebuilding era. The team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each season. Prunty's next role was as an assistant with the in 2013-14 under , emphasizing player development for a roster featuring and . He then joined the from 2014 to 2018, initially under Kidd and later serving as interim , where he helped implement defensive strategies that supported Giannis Antetokounmpo's growth. Prunty returned to the Bucks for a second stint from 2023 to 2025, continuing to contribute to defensive schemes under and . After leaving Milwaukee in 2018, Prunty became lead assistant for the in 2018-19 under , focusing on offensive integration for a rebuilding squad. Following his stint with the , Prunty spent 2019–2021 outside the NBA before joining the as an assistant from 2021 to 2023 under , aiding in player development amid a playoff push that included an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021. In July 2025, Prunty joined the as an assistant under , bringing his expertise in offensive schemes and player development to a young core led by and Franz Wagner. As of November 2025, he continues in this role, contributing to the team's evolving offensive identity.

Interim head coaching stints

Joe Prunty's first interim head coaching opportunity came with the during the 2013-14 season, when head coach was suspended for the first two games following a DWI incident. Prunty, who had joined Kidd's staff as an assistant earlier that year after working with him in , stepped in for the season opener on October 30, 2013, against the , resulting in a 94-98 loss. The following game on November 1 against the ended in a narrow 101-100 victory, snapping the Heat's winning streak and giving Prunty a 1-1 record over the brief period. With limited time to implement changes, Prunty focused on maintaining team continuity and leveraging the veterans like and Joe Johnson, who combined for 38 points in the win against . In the 2015-16 season, Prunty assumed interim duties for the for 17 games while head coach recovered from hip surgery, a role he earned through his assistant position on Kidd's staff since 2014. The Bucks posted an 8-9 record during this stretch, including a brief surge that saw them rank fourth in the league offensively at one point. Facing a young roster struggling with consistency amid injuries and a sub-.500 overall pace, Prunty emphasized player development and tactical adjustments to boost scoring efficiency, helping stabilize the team before Kidd's return. Prunty's most extended interim stint occurred with the in the 2017-18 season, following Jason Kidd's firing on January 22 after a 23-22 start. Over the remaining 37 games, the Bucks achieved a 21-16 record under Prunty, securing the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and advancing to a seven-game playoff series against the . The challenge of mid-season transition amid uncertainty about the permanent role was compounded by managing a roster featuring emerging star and contract situations for key players like . Prunty's strategy centered on daily incremental improvements, fostering a more relaxed environment to build player confidence, and emphasizing ball movement in offensive sets, which elevated the team's offensive rating to 116.6 points per 100 possessions early in his tenure. As forward noted, Prunty "preaches confidence" and designed plays to encourage side-to-side passing, contributing to a more fluid attack. During the 2022-23 season, Prunty served as interim head coach for the Atlanta Hawks for two games starting February 24, 2023, after Nate McMillan's dismissal during the All-Star break. The Hawks went 2-0 under Prunty, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets, before Quin Snyder was hired as the permanent coach on February 26. With only 23 games left in the season and the team needing a push for a top-six playoff spot in the East, Prunty prioritized immediate focus on execution and team morale, aligning with general manager Landry Fields' emphasis on sparking a late hot streak. Prunty returned to an interim role with the in the 2023-24 season, taking over for three games starting January 24, 2024, immediately after Adrian Griffin's firing despite the team's strong 30-13 start. The Bucks recorded a 2-1 mark during this period, providing stability before ' arrival. Amid the pressure of maintaining contention in a title-contender roster with and , Prunty stressed resilience and continuity, as seen in his post-game comments after a win over the Cavaliers, where he highlighted the team's ability to bounce back quickly from the coaching change.

National team career

Great Britain national team

Joe Prunty was appointed head coach of the men's national team in June 2013, while concurrently serving as an assistant coach for the NBA's . The appointment came ahead of the tournament, with Prunty tasked with building on the program's Olympic foundation and qualifying for major competitions. Prunty's tenure lasted until September 2017, concluding after Great Britain's participation in , due to scheduling conflicts between international commitments and his NBA obligations. Over this period, he amassed an overall record of 12 wins and 42 losses, including a 5-15 mark in official competitions. The team qualified for in both 2013 and 2017 under his leadership, though they exited early in each tournament—finishing 1-2 in the group stage in 2013 and 0-3 in 2017—while also competing in unsuccessful qualification campaigns for the 2014 FIBA World Cup and subsequent EuroBasket cycles. Prunty emphasized strategies to integrate high-level NBA talent into the roster when possible, such as forward , who participated in qualifiers during Prunty's early years despite occasional absences due to injuries or NBA schedules. Drawing briefly from his NBA background, Prunty adapted professional-level defensive schemes and player development tactics to the faster-paced rules, focusing on team resilience and leveraging available stars to compete against stronger European opponents. These efforts helped maintain program momentum amid challenges like limited domestic and inconsistent player availability.

USA Basketball roles

Joe Prunty has contributed to USA Basketball through leadership roles in the men's AmeriCup qualifying program, emphasizing the development of emerging American players during NBA offseasons. In November 2020, Prunty served as an assistant coach under for the USA Men's AmeriCup Qualifying Team, participating in training camp preparations and helping guide the roster of G League and overseas professionals to a 2–0 record with victories over (102–44) and (95–79). He advanced to head coach for the February 2021 USA Men's AmeriCup Qualifying Team, again organizing training camps and focusing on skill enhancement for up-and-coming U.S. talents, resulting in another undefeated 2–0 mark against (109–52) and (78–75). These positions allowed Prunty to integrate NBA offseason timelines with international competition, fostering tactical growth and team cohesion among players preparing for professional advancement.

Head coaching record

NBA

Joe Prunty's NBA head coaching experience is limited to interim stints, with no full-season role as a . His overall regular season record stands at 25 wins and 17 losses across 42 games, yielding a .595 . In the playoffs, he compiled a 3-4 record over 7 games, for a .429 . The following table breaks down his regular season records by interim stint:
TeamSeasonGamesWinsLossesWinning %
Milwaukee Bucks2017–18372116.568
Atlanta Hawks2022–232201.000
Milwaukee Bucks2023–24321.667
Total422517.595
These figures highlight Prunty's ability to maintain competitive performance during transitional periods, particularly with the Bucks in 2017–18, where his team secured a playoff spot despite the mid-season change. His undefeated mark with the Hawks came in late February 2023 (victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards), and the brief 2023–24 Bucks tenure followed the firing of Adrian Griffin. The playoff games were exclusively from the 2017–18 Bucks run.

International

Joe Prunty served as of the men's national team from 2013 to 2017, compiling an overall record of 12 wins and 42 losses during his tenure. In FIBA-sanctioned competitions, his team achieved a 5–15 mark, including successful qualifications for and . Key tournament results under Prunty with included a 2–3 finish in the group stage of , highlighted by upset victories over (75–71 in overtime) and (81–74), alongside losses to France (65–88), (71–76), and (68–87). In the qualifiers, posted a 3–3 record in Group G, securing advancement as one of the top runners-up despite a final loss to (75–82). At the tournament itself, the team went 0–5 in Group D, with defeats to (90–103), (70–84), (68–82), (64–99), and (75–83). In , Prunty led the men's AmeriCup Qualifying team to a perfect 2–0 record in the February window, defeating (93–77) and (96–75). Prunty has no other international head coaching stints outside these roles.

References

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