Jacque Vaughn to be new Brooklyn Nets coach
Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets looks on in the first quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 05, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - The Brooklyn Nets made Jacque Vaughn their head coach Wednesday, promoting Steve Nash's replacement instead of hiring suspended Boston coach Ime Udoka.
Vaughn has gone 2-2 as acting coach since the Nets and Nash parted ways on Nov. 1. His first game as the head coach will be Wednesday night at home against the New York Knicks.
"Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward," general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. "He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball."
After moving on from Nash, the Nets had been in discussions with Udoka, who along with Vaughn had been a Nets assistant before taking the Boston job. He led the Celtics to last season's NBA Finals but was suspended for at least this season for violating team rules by having a relationship with a female staffer within the organization.
But the Nets decided not to go that route, perhaps unwilling to take on more negative attention while dealing with the fallout from Kyrie Irving's decision to post a link to a film with antisemitic material on his Twitter page.