Sports Business Classroom is excited to announce that Alvin Gentry will be a featured speaker for the 2021 Draft Academy Virtual Experience!
Draft Academy was designed to give the future of basketball the chance to experience what it’s like to be in the War Room on Draft Day and during the Trade Deadline and learn the skills necessary to be an effective front office pro.
It is also a chance for you to showcase what you’ve got.
If you dream of working in basketball and want to take your basketball experience to the next level the Draft Academy: Virtual Experience is for you.
Past speakers have included NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, TNT’s David Aldridge, Houston Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer, Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle, the cast of NBATV’s The Starters, ESPN’s Mark Jones, Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and NBA Executive VP of Basketball Operations Kiki Vandeweghe, just to name a few.
SBC SPEAKER BIO: ALVIN GENTRY
Alvin Gentry is currently an Associate Head Coach for the Sacramento Kings.
Before joining the Kings, Alvin Gentry was the Head Coach of the New Orleans Pelicans – the sixth in the franchise’s history and he led the team for 5 seasons and left with the second best record of any Head Coach.
Prior to joining the Pelicans organization, Gentry served as the Associate Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, helping navigate the team to one of the best seasons in NBA History. The Warriors won a then- franchise record 67 games – good for the best record in the NBA – and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to claim the 2015 NBA Championship – the franchise’s first in 40 years.
Gentry, 64, brings more than 35 years of coaching experience to the Crescent City. Gentry has previously served as the Head Coach of the Miami Heat (1995), Detroit Pistons (1997-2000), Los Angeles Clippers (2000-2003) and Phoenix Suns (2008-2013). In 869 games, Gentry has amassed a career record of 399-470 (.459). During his tenure in Detroit, Gentry led the Pistons to the 1999 NBA playoffs during his only full season as head coach of the club. In Los Angeles, Gentry improved the Clippers’ record by 16 wins during his first season in 2000-01 (31-51), and added another eight wins the following season (39-43), marking the franchise’s best finish in nearly a decade. As head coach of the Suns, Gentry led the team to the 2010 Western Conference finals after a 54-28 regular season record – the fourth best in Phoenix franchise history.
Known for his offensive prowess, Gentry’s 2009-10 Suns team led the NBA in scoring (110.2 points per game) as well as offensive rating (115.3), and finished fourth in pace of play (95.3), while being the only team in the league to connect on over 40-percent of their three-point field goal attempts (.412). During the 2013-14 season, Gentry served as the associate head coach of the Clippers, where Los Angeles led the league in both scoring (107.9 points per game) and offensive rating (112.1), while also finishing seventh in pace of play (95.9). While with the Warriors, Golden State led the league in scoring (110.0 point per game) and pace of play (98.3), while finishing second in offensive rating (111.6). This past season, Gentry’s Pelicans squad finished third in points per game (111.7), and first in pace of play (102.73) on their way to 48 wins – the third most in team history – and a trip to the Western Conference Semifinals for just the second time in franchise history.
A native of Shelby, North Carolina, Gentry was a college point guard at Appalachian State, where he graduated with a degree in management in 1977 before embarking on a coaching career. He earned his first opportunity as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Colorado during the 1977-78 season and landed a full-time assistant coaching job at Baylor in 1980 before returning to Colorado as an assistant coach from 1981-85. In 1985, Gentry joined Larry Brown’s staff as an assistant at the University of Kansas, helping the Jayhawks capture the 1988 National Championship and then proceeding to follow Brown to the NBA as an Assistant Coach on his staff with the San Antonio Spurs. This is Gentry’s second stop in New Orleans, as he served as an Assistant Coach for Tim Floyd’s staff during the 2003-04 season.
ABOUT SPORTS BUSINESS CLASSROOM
Sports Business Classroom is dedicated to creating immersive educational and training experiences designed by leading industry professionals to develop the sports business stars of tomorrow.
Sports Business Classroom creates one-of-a-kind learning opportunities for those interested in the business of basketball and jobs in sports. Our goal with every program we produce is to combine the best of all worlds into a single package – great academics, hands-on experience, immersion into the subject matter and interaction with some of the best minds working in and around the NBA.
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