The Pacers have promoted Nate McMillan to head coach
After three years as an assistant on former coach Frank Vogel’s staff, Nate McMillan has been hired to replace Vogel as head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
McMillan’s expected promotion was reported over the weekend, but the team made it official Monday.
OFFICIAL: The Indiana #Pacers have named Nate McMillan as their head coach. Story: https://t.co/1k0Bjzx0tL pic.twitter.com/dmhqz7dqiT
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 16, 2016
McMillan, 51, played all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before moving into an assistant coaching job with that team in 1998. By 2000, he was Seattle’s head coach, and he spent five seasons there before putting in six-plus years as Portland Trail Blazers coach. He has a career record of 478-452 and has taken five teams to the playoffs but won just one postseason series.
Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird issued a statement 11 days after firing Vogel, who had a 250-181 record in five-plus seasons with Indiana.
Larry Bird, on naming Nate McMillan as #Pacers head coach: https://t.co/1k0Bjzx0tL pic.twitter.com/dOqROHferP
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 16, 2016
Vogel led the Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, but the team missed the playoffs in 2015 and lost in the first round this year.
