Longtime NBA Head Coach Expected to Join Wizards Organization
· Yahoo Sports
A former NBA head coach is joining the Washington Wizards organization, though not as an assistant coach.
Shortly after news materialized that Hall of Fame center and former assistant Patrick Ewing is expected to re-join the Wizards as an assistant coach in 2026-27, news broke that longtime head coach Steve Clifford is expected to join the organization as a coaching advisor.
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Clifford has served in similar roles for both the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets, while he also served as an assistant alongside Ewing with the Orlando Magic for five seasons beginning in 2007.
The longtime head coach coached in college basketball in the 1990s before moving to the NBA as an assistant coach for 12 seasons beginning in 2001 after stints with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. It was in Orlando when Clifford and Ewing both served as assistant coaches for five seasons during the Stan Van Gundy stint.
Shams Charania is also reporting that former Charlotte and Orlando HC Steve Clifford is also joining the Wizards as a coaching advisor https://t.co/NI5FoEpVEH
— Wizards on Roundtable (@WizRoundtable) July 5, 2026
That connection proved to be valuable after Clifford was named the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats before transitioning to the Hornets during his tenure. At the time of Clifford's hire in 2013, Patrick Ewing followed him to Charlotte where he served as an assistant coach through the 2016-17 season.
Clifford then spent three seasons as the head coach of the Orlando Magic beginning in 2018 before re-joining Charlotte's organization for two seasons beginning in 2022.
Over his ten seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Clifford owns a 340-461 overall record with four playoff appearances and no series wins.
Yet while head coach, Clifford's teams developed a pedigree for defense as Charlotte ranked among the best scoring defenses in the NBA during his tenure, helping him finish fourth in the Coach of the Year voting in 2013-14.
Former Charlotte Hornets coaches Steve Clifford and Patrick Ewing are reuniting on the Washington Wizards' coaching staff. https://t.co/btzpW4OUcmpic.twitter.com/3imfq10E8F
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) July 5, 2026
The Washington Wizards are also expected to promote Cody Toppert to an assistant coach role in 2026-27 after he spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Capital City Go-Go. The move is expected to come months after general manager Will Dawkins and head coach Brian Keefe consistently praised the relationships between the coaching staffs while crediting the development within the Wizards G League affiliate.
Washington will now look to put the pieces together across the coaching staff and roster for what hopes to be a more competitive 2026-27 regular season with sights set on a return to the postseason for the first time since 2020-21.
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