Just a few months after surprisingly being fired by the Phoenix Suns, former head coach Igor Kokoskov will now be joining Luke Walton’s staff in Sacramento.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a deal to bring on Kokoskov as an assistant coach on Luke Walton’s staff.
Kokoskov lasted one season in Phoenix with a 19-63 record last season. He interviewed for the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coaching job in May and is highly regarded for his work internationally as a head coach.
The 47-year-old coached Georgia’s national basketball team from 2009-’15 before serving as Slovenia’s head coach from 2016-’17 and won a EuroBasket Championship in 2017.
Kokoskov has also served as an assistant coach in the NBA for more than a decade with time spent on the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz.
He will likely take on a prominent assistant role on Walton’s staff for a young team that is on the rise and looking to increase its tempo and scoring in Walton’s system.