:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69831951/1231478653.0.jpg)
The San Antonio Spurs have named Matt Nielsen an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s staff for this upcoming season.
The San Antonio Spurs have named Matt Nielsen an assistant coach.
— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) September 8, 2021
Nielsen spent last season as the head coach of the Austin Spurs.
The Australian playcaller figures to replace Will Hardy, who joined fellow former Spurs assistant Ime Udoka’s staff shortly after being named head coach of the Boston Celtics in late June.
Nielsen spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball Association before joining the Austin Spurs as an assistant in 2019.
PATFO then promoted him to head coach of their G League affiliate before last season began. He led Austin to a 10-5 record and a first-round playoff appearance, where they lost to the Delaware Bluecoats.
The Sydney native played professional basketball throughout Europe for more than a decade, accumulating a pair of EuroCup, Baltic League, and National Basketball League championships.
Nielsen had an eventful Summer as an assistant under head coach Brian Goorjian for the Australian National Team, helping lead the Boomers to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.