Christopher Matthew Jent (born January 11, 1970) is an American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). He was formerly the head coach of the
Bakersfield Jam
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
of the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
.
Early life and college career
Jent was born in
Orange, California
Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before ...
and grew up in
Sparta, New Jersey
Sparta is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,600, reflecting a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 United States Census, when the township's population was 19, ...
.
After attending high school at
Sparta High School (New Jersey)
Sparta High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Sparta, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Sparta Towns ...
, he played college basketball for the
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
, leaving in 1992 after four seasons.
Professional playing career
Undrafted in the
1992 NBA draft
The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were considere ...
, Jent was drafted in the fourth round (50th overall) in the 1992
CBA draft.
Jent began his professional career with
CBA teams
Rapid City Thrillers
The Rapid City Thrillers were a semi-professional basketball team in Rapid City, South Dakota, that competed in the Continental Basketball Association beginning in the 1987 season. They were reincarnated in 1998 as an International Basketball Ass ...
and
Columbus Horizon
The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association from 1989 to 1994.
History
Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Septembe ...
.
He had a brief career in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, playing three games each for the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
(winning a championship ring in 1994) and
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
(1996–97). He played in 11 playoff games in 1994, thus giving him the rare distinction of having played in more career playoff-games than regular-season games in the NBA. In between his stints with the Rockets and the Knicks, he played with the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
NBL's
North Melbourne Giants
The North Melbourne Giants, previously known as the Coburg Giants, were an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of ...
in 1995 and also played in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
Coaching career
Philadelphia 76ers (2003–2004)
Jent was an assistant coach for the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
in the 2003–04 season.
Orlando Magic (2004–2005)
The next season, Jent worked in the same capacity with the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
, and was appointed interim head coach for the final 18 games of the
2004–05 season (going 5–13), after
Johnny Davis was fired. At the start of the next season he was replaced by
Brian Hill.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2006–2011)
Beginning in November 2006, Jent took on the role of Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development with the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
. He served as
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
' personal shooting coach while James was on the team.
Ohio State (2011–2013)
On June 29, 2011,
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
head basketball coach
Thad Matta
Thad Michael Matta (born July 11, 1967) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team. From 2004 to 2017, Matta led the Ohio State Buckeyes to five Big Ten Conference regular seas ...
introduced Jent as an assistant coach for the
Buckeyes.
Sacramento Kings (2013–2014)
On June 10, 2013, Jent became an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. He was relieved of his duty on December 16, 2014.
Bakersfield Jam (2015–2016)
Jent would later on be the newest head coach for the
Bakersfield Jam
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
in 2015 after their former head coach ended up accepting an assistant coach/leading player development position for the
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
.
Return to Ohio State (2016–2017)
Jent returned to Ohio State as an assistant following the 2015–16 season.
Atlanta Hawks (2017–2022)
For the 2017–18 season, Jent was hired as an assistant coach with the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
.
Los Angeles Lakers (2022-present)
For the 2022–23 season, Jent was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Head coaching record
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Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
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, style="text-align:left;", Career
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jent, Chris
1970 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Andrea Costa Imola players
Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches
Atlantic City Seagulls players
Bakersfield Jam coaches
Basketball coaches from California
Basketball players from California
Basketball coaches from New Jersey
Basketball players from New Jersey
Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches
Columbus Horizon players
Connecticut Pride players
Greek Basket League players
Houston Rockets players
Joventut Badalona players
Liga ACB players
New York Knicks players
North Melbourne Giants players
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball coaches
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players
Orlando Magic assistant coaches
Orlando Magic head coaches
Pallacanestro Reggiana players
Panionios B.C. players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
People from Sparta, New Jersey
Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches
Rapid City Thrillers players
Sacramento Kings assistant coaches
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Orange, California
Sportspeople from Sussex County, New Jersey
Undrafted National Basketball Association players