 D'Antoni coaching theNew York Knicks in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1951-05-08)May 8, 1951 (age 74) Mullens, West Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American / Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Mullens (Mullens, West Virginia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Marshall (1970–1973) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1973: 2nd round, 20th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1973–1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 5, 8, 10, 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1990–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1975 | Kansas City-Omaha Kings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Spirits of St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1990 | Olimpia Milano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1994 | Olimpia Milano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Benetton Basket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Denver Nuggets (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Benetton Basket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Philadelphia 76ers (associate HC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Brooklyn Nets (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA/ABA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 605 (3.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 262 (1.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 363 (2.0 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951)[1] is an American-Italian professionalbasketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for theNew Orleans Pelicans of theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
While head coach of thePhoenix Suns, he wonNBA Coach of the Year honors for the2004–05 NBA season after the Suns posted 33 more wins than the previous season. He coached theNew York Knicks starting in 2008 before resigning in 2012. He was hired by theLos Angeles Lakers seven games into the 2012–13 season. On June 1, 2016, D'Antoni was named head coach of the Rockets, and he received his second NBA Coach of the Year award for the 2016–17 season.[2] D'Antoni is known for favoring a fast-paced, offense-oriented system. GuardsSteve Nash andJames Harden would win theNBA Most Valuable Player Award playing under D'Antoni's system.
After playing high school basketball atMullens High School, inMullens, West Virginia, D'Antoni playedcollege basketball atMarshall University, with theThundering Herd, from 1970 to 1973.
After acollege basketball career atMarshall University, D'Antoni was drafted by theKansas City-Omaha Kings in the second round of the1973 NBA draft. After playing three seasons for the Kings (1973–1975), he played for theSpirits of St. Louis of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) in 1975–76, and for theSan Antonio Spurs (again in the NBA) in 1976–77. His Spurs career lasted just two games, before he found an opportunity to play in Europe.
D'Antoni was signed by the Italian teamOlimpia Milano, starting a career that saw him become the club's all-time leading scorer. He was voted theItalian LBA league's top point guard of all time in 1990,[3] and paced his team to five Italian League titles, two FIBA European Champions Cup (now calledEuroLeague) titles, twoItalian Cups, oneFIBA Korać Cup, and oneFIBA Intercontinental Cup.
During his playing career in Italy, D'Antoni earned the nickname "Il Baffo" (Italian for "The Mustache"), in reference to his ever-present facial hair.[4] He also earned the nickname "Arsène Lupin" because of his ability to steal the ball.[5] In 2015, Olimpia Milanoretired his No. 8 jersey, in order to honor him.
Being of Italian origin with American and Italiandual citizenship, D'Antoni was also selected to play on the senior men'sItalian national team for theEuroBasket tournament in1989.[6][7]
D'Antoni began his career as head coach for his most loyal club,Olimpia Milan. He remained there for four seasons, from 1990 to 1994, leading the club to a1992 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four appearance, and a1992–93 seasonFIBA Korać Cup title.
D'Antoni was then chosen to coachBenetton Treviso, another major Italian league basketball club. During his tenure with Treviso (1994–1997), the team captured theFIBA European Cup (later renamed Saporta Cup) andItalian Cup (in 1995), and won theItalian national domestic league title in the 1996–97 season. D'Antoni's Italian club teams went to the Italian League's playoffs each season.
D'Antoni's first NBA coaching job was with theDenver Nuggets in1997–98 as the club's director of player personnel. He also did some broadcasting work withTNT that season. The next year, he became the Nuggets' head coach, but was fired after a poor performance during the lockout-shortened1998–99 season.
D'Antoni then became a scout for the San Antonio Spurs during the1999–2000 season. He was also an assistant for thePortland Trail Blazers in2000–01.
In 2001, D'Antoni returned to Italy for a second stint as the coach of Benetton Treviso. In his one-season back in Europe, he led Treviso to a 28–8 regular season record in the Italian League, an Italian League championship, and to a2002 Euroleague Final Four appearance, coaching a team filled with many former NBA stars.
In 2002, D'Antoni made his return to the NBA as a Phoenix Suns assistant underFrank Johnson. In 2003, he replaced Johnson with 61 games left in the season as the Suns' head coach[8] and, despite the team's failure to improve in the second half of the season, received a vote of confidence for producing inspired play from the injury-riddled team. With the acquisition of free agentSteve Nash before the 2004–05 season, an incredible turnaround began for the team. Nash was experienced in therun-and-gun style from his previous stints with theDallas Mavericks and the Suns. He excelled running D'Antoni'spick-and-roll offense.[9] D'Antoni won theNBA Coach of the Year Award after his Suns went 62–20 to finish first in the regular season. His style, dubbed "Seven Seconds or Less", was described in abook of that name. Overall, his Suns won 50 or more games in four consecutive seasons, while Nash earnedNBA MVP honors in 2005 and 2006. In addition to Nash, D'Antoni's Suns also featured All-Star power forwardAmar'e Stoudemire and high-flying All-Star small forwardShawn Marion. They made consecutive appearances in theWestern Conference finals in2005 and2006, losing to theSan Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.[9] D'Antoni became the Suns' GM afterBryan Colangelo's departure and passed on the post toSteve Kerr in 2007.[10] The Suns were eliminated in the playoffs by the Spurs in 2007 and 2008, after which D'Antoni left Phoenix for the New York Knicks.
AlthoughSteve Kerr requested he stay with the Suns, D'Antoni was told that he was free to speak with other teams about coaching jobs.[11] On May 9, D'Antoni was made an offer by theNew York Knicks.[12] The next day, he accepted the 4-year, $24 million offer and became the Knicks' head coach.[13][14]
After two losing seasons, D'Antoni with new additionsAmar'e Stoudemire andCarmelo Anthony led the Knicks to the playoffs in2010–11 with a 42–40 record. They were swept by theBoston Celtics in the first round.
D'Antoni resigned as coach on March 14, 2012, and assistant coachMike Woodson filled his vacancy as the head coach.[15] The Knicks were off to a disappointing 18–24 start, and D'Antoni clashed with Anthony.[9]
On November 12, 2012, the Lakers signed D'Antoni to a three-year contract worth $12 million.[16][17] He replacedMike Brown, who was fired as head coach after a 1–4 start to the2012–13 season. The Lakers first contacted former Lakers coachPhil Jackson about the opening, but D'Antoni was hired in a unanimous decision by the Lakers front office.[9][18][19][20] The Lakers felt that D'Antoni's fast-paced style of play made him a "great fit" for the team, more suitable than Jackson's structuredtriangle offense.[18][19][21][22] Lakers ownerJerry Buss's preference has always been for the Lakers to have a wide-open offense.[18] D'Antoni was reunited with Nash, who was traded to the Lakers before the season. Lakers starKobe Bryant was also familiar with D'Antoni; Bryant as a child knew him when D'Antoni was a star in Italy and Bryant's father was also playing there. Bryant grew close to D'Antoni during their time with Team USA.[9][20]
D'Antoni's coaching debut with the Lakers was delayed as he recovered from knee replacement surgery. He had surgery weeks before on October 31, as he originally expected to take a year off from coaching and have months to recover.[23]Bernie Bickerstaff, who was the Lakers' interim coach after Brown was fired, continued in that role after D'Antoni was hired.[24] He was 4–1 as the interim coach, winning his last two as D'Antoni started leading team practices.[25][26] D'Antoni named a new assistant to the Lakers' staff, his older brotherDan, who also helped with the practices. In his first press conference, D'Antoni predicted that the Lakers, then 3–5 and ranked 20th in scoring with 96.5 points per game, should instead be scoring "110–115 points a game".[25] He wanted to reviveShowtime.[27] He reiterated general managerMitch Kupchak's belief that the Lakers were built to win anNBA championship that season. D'Antoni was glad to be back with Nash, noting his unsuccessful stint with the Knicks without him.[25] On November 20, he coached his first game—nine days after he was hired—in a 95–90 win against theBrooklyn Nets.[28] In his first game back in New York in December, the Lakers lost 116–107 and dropped to 4–9 overall under D'Antoni.[29] D'Antoni coached his first 17 games without Nash, who was recovering from a broken leg.[30] The Lakers won three out of four after Nash returned in late December, but proceeded to lose their next six.[31][32]
Calling it a permanent move, D'Antoni benched forwardPau Gasol in mid-January and startedEarl Clark to form the faster and smaller lineup the coach preferred.[33][34][35] The team was already ranked No. 2 in pace.[34] Halfway through the season, the Lakers were in 12th place in theWestern Conference with a 17–24 record. Under D'Antoni, the Lakers were 12–19 while scoring an average of 103.3 points a game but surrendering 103.4.[36] Offensively, they reached the 110-point threshold just eight times in the 31 games, going 5–3.[37] D'Antoni stressed that the team's focus needed to be on its defense, not offense.[38] He likened the Lakers to anAll-Star team in which "everybody gets the ball and goes one on one and then they play no defense",[39] adding that they "haven't learned that there's a pecking order" where stars need to know their roles.[39]
CenterDwight Howard struggled to run thepick and roll with Nash, a play D'Antoni expected to be a staple for the Lakers.[40] D'Antoni eventually dropped his offense and played without any system.[41][42] "We play basketball. The system is move the ball, play hard defense, space the floor and who's open shoots. It's not a difficult thing", said D'Antoni.[42] The coach moved Nash off the ball and made him more of a spot-up shooter, while Bryant became the primary facilitator on offense.[41][42][43] The defense was also more energized.[44]
D'Antoni was named Western Conference Coach of the Month after the Lakers went 7–1 in April. They finished the season 45–37 after dropping to 17–25 in January the day of their team meeting in Memphis.[45] They qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the season, securing the seventh seed in the West.[46] The Lakers' expected starting five of Bryant, Nash, Howard, Gasol andMetta World Peace started together just seven times all season and without registering a win.[47] "The Lakers didn't help things by making the coaching change and putting [D'Antoni] in that situation, which he was glad to take. But I think it was a little bit tougher than he thought it would be", Kupchak said.[45] The Lakers faced San Antonio in the playoffs and lost in the opening round for the first time since2007, suffering their first opening-round sweep since1967.[48]
In D'Antoni's first full season with the team in2013–14, the Lakers went 27–55 for the second-worst winning percentage (.329) in team history. It was the worst 82-game record in team history and their fewest wins since the franchise moved from Minnesota.[49] Howard left before the season as a free agent, accepting less money to join theHouston Rockets.[50] Bryant played in just six games during the season, but he and Gasol were critical of D'Antoni'ssmall-ball system.[51] Nash also missed most of the season with injuries.[50] On April 30, 2014, D'Antoni resigned as coach of the Lakers after the team declined to pick up their option for him to coach in 2015–16. He was paid an undisclosed amount of the $4 million owed him for the upcoming 2014–15 season. "Given the circumstances, I don't know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons", said Kupchak.[51]
On December 18, 2015, D'Antoni signed with thePhiladelphia 76ers to work as associate head coach underBrett Brown.[52]
On June 1, 2016, D'Antoni was named the new head coach of theHouston Rockets.[2]
In his first season with the Rockets, D'Antoni led the team to a 55–27 record, and the Rockets to the NBA Western Conference semi-finals. On May 7, 2017, D'Antoni andErik Spoelstra were announced as co-recipients of the inauguralNBCA Coach of the Year Award.[53] On June 26, 2017, he won theNBA Coach of the Year Award.
During the 2017–18 season, D'Antoni's led the Rockets to the best regular season in the NBA with a 65–17 record. However, the Rockets' playoff run ended in the NBA Western Conference finals after losing 4–3 to theGolden State Warriors.
After the 2018–19 season, the Rockets won more games in his three seasons than in any three-year stretch in franchise history (173–73). The Rockets were 23–16 in the playoffs during that same span.[54] As a result, D'Antoni accumulated the best win-percentage of any Rockets coach.[55]
On May 30, 2019, after the considerable dismantling of the coaching staff,[56] D'Antoni announced that he decided not to renew his contract which was set to expire after the 2019–20 season.[57] Prior to the announcement, he showed interest in signing a contract extension, stating: "I've letDaryl [Morey] and [owner]Tilman [Fertitta] know that I'm energized to keep coaching – and believe that I can continue to do this at a high-level for at least another three years."[58] On June 8, it was reported that Fertitta and D'Antoni were nearing an agreement on a contract extension after thelanguage of a buyout was removed from the previous offer—which is what caused the initial talks to die out in the first place.[59][54] Ultimately, D'Antoni started the 2019–20 season with no contract extension.[60] On September 13, 2020, a day after Houston lost the conference semifinals 4–1 to the Lakers, D'Antoni announced that he would not return to the team.[61]
On October 30, 2020, theBrooklyn Nets hired D'Antoni as an assistant coach under his formerPhoenix Suns playerSteve Nash.[62] On July 28, 2021, he stepped down from his position after one season.[63][64]
On August 4, 2021, D'Antoni was hired as coaching advisor by theNew Orleans Pelicans.[65] On April 29, 2025, it was announced that D'Antoni would not be retained by the Pelicans organization.[66]
D'Antoni was selected to the coaching staff for theTeam USA Olympic Basketball squad under head coachMike Krzyzewski and participated in the2006 FIBA World Championship, winning a bronze medal.[67] Pundits[who?] believed his familiarity with the three-point shot and the zone defense, hallmarks of the international game, were valuable assets to the team.[citation needed]
In the summer of 2012, D'Antoni returned to Team USA as an assistant coach again under head coachMike Krzyzewski. He reunited with Knicks playersCarmelo Anthony andTyson Chandler on this team as they prepared for the2012 London Summer Olympics.[68]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Kansas City–Omaha (NBA) | 52 | 19.0 | .402 | .702 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .3 | 4.8 | |
| 1974–75 | Kansas City–Omaha (NBA) | 67 | 11.3 | .399 | .778 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .2 | 2.5 | |
| 1975–76 | Kansas City (NBA) | 9 | 11.2 | .259 | 1.000 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .0 | 1.8 | |
| 1975–76 | St. Louis (ABA) | 50 | 16.0 | .475 | .000 | .731 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .3 | 3.5 |
| 1976–77 | San Antonio (NBA) | 2 | 4.5 | .333 | .500 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 | |
| Career (NBA) | 130 | 14.3 | .392 | .736 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 3.3 | ||
| Career (overall) | 180 | 14.8 | .414 | .000 | .735 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 3.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Kansas City–Omaha (NBA) | 4 | 10.5 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.8 | .3 | 1.0 | .3 | 4.5 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 1998–99 | 50 | 14 | 36 | .280 | 6th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Phoenix | 2003–04 | 61 | 21 | 40 | .344 | 6th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Phoenix | 2004–05 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Pacific | 15 | 9 | 6 | .600 | Lost inConference finals |
| Phoenix | 2005–06 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 1st in Pacific | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | Lost inConference finals |
| Phoenix | 2006–07 | 82 | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1st in Pacific | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Phoenix | 2007–08 | 82 | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2nd in Pacific | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost inFirst round |
| New York | 2008–09 | 82 | 32 | 50 | .390 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New York | 2009–10 | 82 | 29 | 53 | .354 | 3rd in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New York | 2010–11 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 2nd in Atlantic | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| New York | 2011–12 | 42 | 18 | 24 | .429 | (resigned) | — | — | — | — | — |
| L.A. Lakers | 2012–13 | 72 | 40 | 32 | .556 | 3rd in Pacific | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| L.A. Lakers | 2013–14 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 5th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Houston | 2016–17 | 82 | 55 | 27 | .671 | 2nd in Southwest | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Houston | 2017–18 | 82 | 65 | 17 | .793 | 1st in Southwest | 17 | 11 | 6 | .647 | Lost inConference finals |
| Houston | 2018–19 | 82 | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1st in Southwest | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Houston | 2019–20 | 72 | 44 | 28 | .611 | 1st in Southwest | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Career | 1,199 | 672 | 527 | .560 | 110 | 54 | 56 | .491 | |||
D'Antoni's father was a high school basketball coach in West Virginia and Ohio, and was inducted into West Virginia's Sports Hall of Fame. His older brotherDan coached under him as an assistant in Phoenix, New York, and Los Angeles.[69] Both Mike (1997) and Dan (1990) have been enshrined in the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame.
D'Antoni is a dual citizen of the United States and Italy, making him the first Italian to lead anNBA team. He descends from an Italian grandfather who emigrated fromUmbria, Italy, to the U.S. in the early 20th century.[70] He is fluent in English and Italian.[71]
He lives[as of?] in theMemorial neighborhood inHouston, with his wife, Laurel, and has a son named Mike.[72]
