Dan Craig (born June 9, 1980) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
coach who serves as associate head coach for the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
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 St ...
(NBA). He served in various coaching staff roles for the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
between 2003 and 2015 before joining the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...
as their head coach for the 2015–16 season and guiding them to their maiden
D-League championship. Craig returned to coach the Heat for the
2016–17 season.
Coaching career
After spending four years playing college basketball for
Plymouth State University between 1999 and 2003, Craig had a brief stint as a graduate assistant at
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...
before joining the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
as an intern in the video department for the 2003–04 season. He was named the Heat's assistant video coordinator in 2004 and two years later was promoted to video coordinator, a role he served for five seasons before being elevated to video coordinator/player development coach prior to the 2011–12 season. Then between 2012 and 2015, he served in various coaching staff roles such as assistant coach/video coordinator, assistant coach/player development, and assistant coach/director of player development.
On September 25, 2015, Craig was appointed head coach of the Heat's
NBA Development League affiliate team, the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...
.
On January 29, 2016, he was named the East All-Star team head coach for the 2016
NBA D-League All-Star Game. In 2015–16, Craig led the Skyforce to a 40–10 regular-season record, the best mark in league history. Sioux Falls had 10-game (December 18 – January 12) and nine-game (March 4–25) winning streaks during the season, and won 11 of its last 13 games to secure the NBA D-League Central Division title. The team also went a league-best 22–3 at home. He subsequently earned D-League Coach of the Month honors for December, January and March/April, and won the 2015–16
Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award
The NBA G League Coach of the Year is an annual NBA G League award given since the 2006–07 season to the best head coach of the regular season. The league's head coaches determine the award by voting and it is usually presented to the honoree du ...
. The Skyforce went on to win the league championship with a 2–1 Finals series win over the
Los Angeles D-Fenders.
On May 13, 2016, it was announced that Craig would be re-joining the Miami Heat as an assistant coach for the 2016–17 season.
On November 16, 2020, Craig was hired as an assistant coach for the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
under head coach
Tyronn Lue.
References
External links
Heat Directory: Dan Craig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Dan
Year of birth uncertain
Living people
American men's basketball players
College men's basketball players in the United States
Miami Heat assistant coaches
Plymouth State University alumni
Sioux Falls Skyforce coaches
1980 births