PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have reportedly finally landed another assistant on new head coach Mike Budenholzer’s staff.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Former San Antonio Spurs vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry is joining Phoenix as an assistant, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Brent Barry — who spent the past six seasons in the Spurs’ front office — is joining the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. Barry was part of two NBA titles in a 14-year playing career. pic.twitter.com/efIe2RRE6e
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 23, 2024
Barry has been in this role with the Spurs since 2018 after eight years as an analyst for the Turner Sports network. Before this, Barry had a 14-year playing career that spanned across the Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Seattle Supersonics, and Houston Rockets.
The 6-foot-6 sharpshooter played 912 regular-season games, starting 449 of them, and averaged 9.3 points and shot 40.5% from 3. He also appeared in 88 postseason games (18 starts) and averaged 5.8 points on 41.6% 3-point shooting.
After being drafted No. 15 overall in 1995, Barry spent his first 2.5 seasons in the league with the Clippers and won the 1996 Slam Dunk Contest. After short stints in Miami and Chicago, Barry played for the Seattle Supersonics from 1999-04, averaging 11.3 points on 42.9% 3-point shooting, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while starting 296 of his 362 games with Seattle. In the 2000-01 season, Barry led the entire NBA in 3-point percentage at 47.6%.
He joined the Spurs in 2004 and would win the 2005 and 2007 NBA Finals with San Antonio, appearing in 261 regular-season games and 71 in the postseason for the Spurs from 2004-08. Budenholzer was an assistant with San Antonio from 1996-2013, so he coached Barry in all of his four years in San Antonio. Barry spent his last NBA season in 2008-09 with the Houston Rockets.
Barry is the sixth reported assistant to join Budenholzer’s staff and first one reported in over a month. He will join David Fizdale, former Washington head coach Mike Hopkins, former Wisconsin Herd coach Chaisson Allen, former Utah Jazz assistant Chad Forcier and one of Budenholzer’s previous assistants Vince Legarza on the Suns’ staff. Phoenix has still yet to name an associate head coach.
Suns reportedly add former Washington head coach as assistant
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
