| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1965-06-01)June 1, 1965 (age 59) Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Saint Bernard (Playa del Rey, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1988: 3rd round, 65th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Playing career | 1988–2004 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 12, 8, 1, 7, 5 |
| Coaching career | 2003–present |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| 1988–1989 | Quad City Thunder |
| 1989 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1989 | Calgary 88's |
| 1989–1990 | Omaha Racers |
| 1990 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1990 | Omaha Racers |
| 1990 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1990–1991 | Yakima Sun Kings |
| 1991–1992 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 1992 | Montreal Dragons |
| 1992–1993 | Yakima Sun Kings |
| 1993 | La Crosse Catbirds |
| 1993–1994 | New York Knicks |
| 1994–1995 | Scavolini Pesaro |
| 1995 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1995–1996 | Galatasaray |
| 1996 | Mash J. Verona |
| 1996–1997 | Hapoel Eilat |
| 1997–1998 | Japan Energy Griffins |
| 1999–2000 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| 2000–2003 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 2003–2004 | Long Beach Jam |
| As a coach: | |
| 2003–2004 | Long Beach Jam (assistant) |
| 2005 | Long Beach Jam |
| 2006–2007 | Phoenix Mercury (assistant) |
| 2007–2013 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2013 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2016–2018 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| 2019–2021 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 248 (3.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 69 (0.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 247 (3.1 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Corey Yasuto Gaines (born June 1, 1965) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player. He played five seasons in the NBA, and was a four-timeIsraeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1999 and in 2001 to 2003. He was also a former head coach of thePhoenix Mercury of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Gaines was selected by theSeattle SuperSonics in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the1988 NBA draft.[1] A 6' 3" (1.90 m) guard fromUCLA andLoyola Marymount University, Gaines played in 5 NBA seasons for 4 different teams. He played for theNew Jersey Nets (1988–89),Philadelphia 76ers (1989–90, 1994–95),Denver Nuggets (1990–91) andNew York Knicks (1993–94). In his NBA career, he played in 80 games and scored a total of 248 points. Throughout his NBA career, he also spent time playing inContinental Basketball Association for multiple teams.
Gaines also played in multiple international basketball leagues (including the Japanese professional men's basketball league) throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a four-timeIsraeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1999 and in 2001 to 2003. The last team he played for was theLong Beach Jam under the revivedAmerican Basketball Association. The Jam won the ABA Championship in their first season of existence, thanks in part to having players likeDennis Rodman on their squad.
After winning the ABA Championship, Gaines would retire from playing basketball and start out as an assistant coach for theLong Beach Jam in their second year of existence. During the season, he would take over the head coach role there after their previous coach would accept a coaching role in the NBA. After the Jam's second season ended, it was announced that the Long Beach Jam would not play the next season due to their eventual move to Bakersfield in order to complete their transition to theNBA Development League. As a result, he would soon be an assistant coach for thePhoenix Mercury for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. On November 7, 2007, Gaines became the head coach of thePhoenix Mercury, replacing outgoing head coachPaul Westhead.[2] Gaines had prior experience with Westhead's offense, having played for him at Loyola Marymount University and with the Nuggets. Gaines kept the same offense that Westhead employed, and in 2009, he directed the Mercury to their second WNBA title. Under Gaines' guidance,Diana Taurasi became the second player in WNBA history to win the regular season scoring title, theWNBA MVP Award, the WNBA Championship, and theWNBA Finals MVP Award in the same season.[3]
In November 2011, Gaines was promoted to general manager of the Mercury, taking over a position vacated byAnn Meyers-Drysdale. On August 8, 2013, the Phoenix Mercury announced that they had relieved Gaines of his duties as head coach and general manager, and named former University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University men's basketball head coachRuss Pennell as the team's interim head coach.[4]
Gaines would have his first coaching experience in the NBA with thePhoenix Suns as a player development coach, starting back in the 2010–11 season. In January 2013, Gaines was temporarily promoted to being an assistant head coach for thePhoenix Suns alongside Dan Panaggio after bothDan Majerle andElston Turner would resign from their roles after the announcement ofLindsey Hunter being the team's interim head coach. He would then continue working under the organization throughout the rest of the2012-13 NBA season until the Suns hired permanent replacement assistant head coaches to replace their old coaching staff, although Gaines would still work for the organization as a player development coach alongside Irving Roland during the2013–14 and2014–15 seasons. However, on July 30, 2015, Gaines would end up being promoted back as a full-time assistant coach for the Suns for the2015-16 NBA season due to some changes with the coaching and player development staffs respectively.[5][6] Gaines would also be considered a prime candidate for the interim coach tag for the Suns after head coachJeff Hornacek was fired on February 1, 2016. However, after a generally awful season that was even worse than their 2012–13 season, Gaines would not have his contract renewed with the team.[7]
Before the start of the2016–17 season, Gaines would reunite with head coachJeff Hornacek and assistant coachJerry Sichting as an assistant coach for theNew York Knicks. Prior to the start of the2018–19 season, theDetroit Pistons hired Gaines as a Coaching Consultant.[8] Before the start of the 2019–20 season, Gaines was hired as an assistant coach with theWashington Wizards.[9]
Gaines served as a coach for theJapan men's national basketball team at the2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the2024 Summer Olympics.[10] In January 2025 Japanese news media reported that Gaines was set to be named as the head coach of theJapan women's national basketball team.[10]
Gaines' father is African-American and his mother is of Japanese descent.[11][12][13]
and Basketball Reference