Former NBA Coach Dave Joerger in Talks to Lead Paris Basketball

Paris Basketball is negotiating with former NBA head coach Dave Joerger, according to a report Friday by Dontaas Urbonas, a senior BasketNews reporter. The 52-year-old is said to be considering options outside the NBA, and the market reportedly widely views him as a possible next coach for Paris.

Paris is currently coached by 28-year-old Julius Thomas, who took over during the season. Recent reports have suggested Thomas is expected to leave this summer and could join an NBA coaching staff. David Kahn, a former Minnesota Timberwolves executive, oversees basketball operations at Paris.

The club has a recent pattern of coaches using Paris as a springboard to the NBA. Thomas Iisalo led Paris to the EuroCup title and promotion to the EuroLeague before joining the Memphis Grizzlies and eventually becoming their head coach. His successor, Tiago Splitter, guided Paris to the EuroLeague playoffs in the club’s first season in the competition before leaving for the Portland Trail Blazers, where he later earned a head-coaching job.

Joerger has extensive NBA experience. He was head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2013 to 2016 and the Sacramento Kings from 2016 to 2019. In recent years he has worked as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, served as a consultant for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and most recently was on Doc Rivers’s coaching staff with the Milwaukee Bucks.