Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

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 previously was the head coach for both 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 ...

(2013–2016) and the

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 ...

(2016–2018). He was also an assistant coach 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 ...

. He played

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

in the NBA from

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

through

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

and played collegiately at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Elementary and high school

He attended Komarek Elementary School in

North Riverside, Illinois North Riverside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,426. Geography North Riverside is located at (41.846222, -87.829585). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, North R ...

, and Gurrie Middle School and

Lyons Township High School Lyons Township High School (often referred to as LTHS or simply LT) is a public high school located in Western Springs, Illinois (South Campus), and also in La Grange, Illinois (North Campus). Lyons Township is a co-educational high school and ...

in La Grange,

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

College

Hornacek

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

(ISU) in 1981; he was a team walk-on who played from 1982 to 1986. The son of a high school basketball coach, he became an all-conference player in the

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

, playing for coach Johnny Orr. As a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

he guided the

Cyclones In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

to the Sweet Sixteen of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

. His shining moment came at the

Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

when, after first hitting a shot to tie the game and send it to

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

, Hornacek hit the game winning shot in overtime, a 26-foot jumper at the buzzer, to give ISU its first NCAA tournament victory since

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

, beating

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

, March 14, 1986, 81–79. Two days later, he led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, in a 72–69 upset of second seed

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Orr, who had previously left Michigan to coach at Iowa State, called it the greatest victory of his career. Hornacek left ISU with a Big-8 record of 665 career assists and 1,313 career points. He was the fourth player in Cyclone basketball history to have his number retired when his No. 14 jersey was hung from the rafters of

Hilton Coliseum James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics ...

in 1991.

NBA career

Phoenix Suns

He was the 22nd pick in the second round (46th overall) of the 1986 NBA draft, by the

. The 2nd round draft pick that was used to select him was traded three times before finally ending up with the Suns. First, 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 ...

packaged it in the deal to acquire

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their S ...

from the

San Diego 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 ...

before the 1983–84 season. A week later, the Clippers sent the pick to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

in a deal to acquire

Ricky Pierce Richard Charles Pierce (born August 19, 1959) is an American retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nicknamed "Deuces" and "Big Paper Daddy", he was selected as an NBA All-Star (1991) and was twice the NBA Sixth Man of the Year (19 ...

, and on that same day, the Pistons dealt the pick to the Suns for

David Thirdkill David Thirdkill (born April 12, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. He played in the NBA, and was the 1993 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. NBA career He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (15th overall) of th ...

. The Suns struggled in Hornacek's first two seasons, but after hiring

Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, Mi ...

as coach and acquiring free agent Tom Chambers, the Suns went from 28 wins in 1987–88 to 55 in 1988–89. Hornacek was a "third option" on offense after Chambers and Kevin Johnson. This trio led the Suns to four straight NBA playoff appearances, including two Western Conference Finals. In the 1991–92 season, he led the Suns in scoring average (20.1 points per game) and earned an All-Star appearance. Hornacek won NBA Player of the Month honors in December 1991.

Philadelphia 76ers

In 1992, Hornacek was traded (along with

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University ...

and

Tim Perry Timothy D. Perry (born June 4, 1965) is an American former basketball player. Following his college career with Temple he played professionally for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association and Liga ACB. Playing career Perry played colle ...

) to 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 ...

for

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

. With

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. After starring at Chicago's Westinghouse High School, the 6'3" (1.90 m) shooting guard attended Bradley University. Hawkins played for 4 teams ...

, the Sixers' leading scorer, in the shooting guard position, Hornacek was assigned point guard responsibilities. Although he had a career high 6.9 assists per game in his only complete season with the Sixers ( 1992–93 season), his stint as a point guard was not a success (26 wins, 56 losses). Midway through the 1993–94 season (February 24) he was traded to the

(for

Jeff Malone Jeffrey Nigel Malone (born June 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Mississippi State, and is mostly known for his time with the Washington Bullets (1983–1990) of the National Basketb ...

) where he could return to his natural shooting guard position alongside

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, ...

Utah Jazz

Like in Phoenix, Hornacek was a complementary "third option" to

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

and Stockton. He was an instrumental part of the Jazz's drive to the NBA Finals in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, where the Jazz lost to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

both times. He remained with the Jazz until knee problems forced his retirement in 2000. It was revealed that he has no left meniscus due to wear and tear on his body, so bad that he could have needed

knee reconstruction Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament can either be removed from ...

because it also is arthritic. On November 23, 1994, he set a then-NBA record with eight consecutive three-pointers in a single game against the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

. That same season, he also tied an NBA record 11 consecutive three-pointers, from December 30, 1994 through January 11, 1995. One of the best

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

shooters in the league, once making 67 in a row (November 12, 1999 – January 6, 2000), one of his most well-known mannerisms was stroking the side of his face three times before every free-throw attempt. That was his way of saying hello to his three children, Tyler, Ryan and Abigaile, during the game."Changing teams: Hornacek will trade NBA for family"
– CNN/Sports Illustrated. – (CNNSI.com). – Wednesday, April 26, 2000. He holds a career free throw percentage of 87.7, 16th highest in NBA history.
– Basketball-Reference. – Retrieved on August 23, 2007 Hornacek won the NBA three-point competition twice, and along with

Natalie Williams Natalie Jean Williams (born November 30, 1970) is an American basketball executive and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Williams was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. She was also an acc ...

, star of the

Utah Starzz Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its we ...

, won the All-Star 2-Ball Challenge. After the 1999–2000 season, Hornacek retired from basketball to spend more time with his family. Hornacek's No. 14 jersey was retired by the

, for whom he played from 1994 to 2000, and helped get them to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

in 1997 and 1998. Coach

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

and Jazz announcer "Hot Rod" Hundley referred to Hornacek affectionately as "Horny".Jeff Hornacek
. – NBA. All in all, Hornacek enjoyed a 14-year NBA playing career including 1,077 career games played.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 80 , , 3 , , 19.5 , , .454 , , .279 , , .777 , , 2.3 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 49 , , 27.4 , , .506 , , .293 , , .822 , , 3.2 , , 6.6 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 73 , , 31.9 , , .495 , , .333 , , .826 , , 3.4 , , 6.0 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 60 , , 34.0 , , .536 , , .408 , , .856 , , 4.7 , , 5.0 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 77 , , 34.2 , , .518 , , .418 , , .897 , , 4.0 , , 5.1 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 38.0 , , .512 , , .439 , , .886 , , 5.0 , , 5.1 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 20.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 79 , , 78 , , 36.2 , , .470 , , .390 , , .865 , , 4.3 , , 6.9 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 53 , , 37.6 , , .455 , , .313 , , .873 , , 4.0 , , 5.9 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 27 , , 9 , , 30.6 , , .509 , , .429 , , .891 , , 2.5 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 33.3 , , .514 , , .406 , , .882 , , 2.6 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 59 , , 31.6 , , .502 , , .466 , , .893 , , 2.5 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 31.6 , , .482 , , .369 , , .899 , , 2.9 , , 4.4 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 30.8 , , .482 , , .441 , , .885 , , 3.4 , , 4.4 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 48 , , 29.9 , , .477 , , .420 , , .893 , , 3.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 27.7 , , .492 , , .478 , , .950 , , 2.4 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .2 , , 12.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,077 , , 910 , , 31.5 , , .496 , , .403 , , .877 , , 3.4 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 14.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 24.0 , , .714 , , .500 , , – , , 2.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12, , 12, , 31.2, , .497, , .000, , .840, , 5.8, , 5.2, , 1.3, , .3, , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16, , 16, , 36.4, , .511, , .250, , .932, , 3.9, , 4.6, , 1.5, , .0, , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 4, , 36.3, , .431, , .500, , .929, , 6.3, , 2.0, , .8, , .5, , 18.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8, , 8, , 42.9, , .484, , .471, , .912, , 6.4, , 5.3, , 1.8, , .3, , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16, , 16, , 34.9, , .475, , .441, , .912, , 2.4, , 4.0, , 1.5, , .4, , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , 5, , 35.6, , .510, , .538, , .786, , 1.2, , 4.0, , 1.6, , .2, , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 18, , 18, , 35.8, , .502, , .586, , .890, , 3.6, , 3.3, , 1.1, , .2, , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 20, , 20, , 35.2, , .433, , .358, , .876, , 4.5, , 3.7, , 1.1, , .2, , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 20, , 20, , 31.8, , .416, , .467, , .846, , 2.5, , 3.2, , 1.0, , .2, , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11, , 11, , 27.6, , .462, , .389, , .879, , 3.7, , 2.4, , 1.0, , .0, , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10, , 10, , 29.7, , .422, , .409, , .833, , 3.0, , 3.3, , 1.0, , .0, , 11.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 140 , , 140 , , 34.0 , , .470 , , .433 , , .886 , , 3.8 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 14.9

Coaching career

He was hired for the 2007–08 season by the Jazz as a special assistant coach and to help

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

and others with their shooting."Kirilenko plays best game of the season: Hornacek credited for big improvement in shooting prowess"
– ''

Deseret Morning News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

''. – January 26, 2008. – Retrieved: June 16, 2008Hanley, Brian. �
"Hornacek was 'player-coach'"
. – ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

''. – May 26, 2008. – Retrieved: June 16, 2008 In May 2008 Hornacek interviewed for a coaching position with the

, meeting with general manager

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...

. He put off seeking a coaching position until his children were older so the extensive travel would not put excess pressure on his family. After the departure of

and Phil Johnson in February 2011, Jeff Hornacek became a full assistant coach with the Utah Jazz. During 2013, Hornacek was considered a head coach candidate for two of his former teams, the

and the

, as well as the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

. On May 28, 2013, he was named the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Hornacek has stated that his coaching style is reminiscent to that of

and Sloan, who both coached him back when he played for the coaches' respective teams. Hornacek also coached the Suns' Summer League team during the 2013 season in Las Vegas. In his first game as head coach at the Summer League, he helped lead the team to an 82–69 victory over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. The Suns went on a six-game winning streak before ultimately losing in the inaugural championship round to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

91–77. Hornacek was 5–2 in pre-season and he started the 2013–14 NBA season with a 104–91 victory over the

and an 87–84 victory over the

, both times at home. Hornacek also became the team's first ever head coach to start out his coaching stint with a 4–0 record at home games. Hornacek won the NBA Coach of the Month award in December 2013, his first coaching honor, after leading the Suns to a 10–3 record during the month. Hornacek also became the third former NBA player to win both Player of the Month and Coach of the Month awards (after

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

and

Larry Drew Larry Donnell Drew (born April 2, 1958) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drew was named to the Kansas Sports ...

), and the first coach to receive both awards with the same team. For the season, the Suns improved by 23 victories upon the previous season's record, which led to a 48–34 record in Hornacek's first season as a head coach. This accomplishment lead to the Phoenix Suns becoming the most improved team during the 2013–14 NBA season. Despite the improvement, the Suns still missed the playoffs and Hornacek was the runner-up coach in the

NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who le ...

receiving 37 1st place votes. He lost to three-time winner

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taking over as coach of the Spur ...

. On February 1, 2016, Hornacek was fired as head coach of the Phoenix Suns after two-and-a-half seasons in the position. On June 2, 2016, the

officially announced Hornacek as their new head coach. His first season in New York held a promising enough start, to the point where the team had a 16–13 record early on. However, malcontent surrounding the Knicks between the front office and some of their players resulted in Hornacek having a 31–51 record by the end of the season. On April 12, 2018, the Knicks fired Hornacek after a 29–53 season. On November 30, 2020, Hornacek was hired by the

as an assistant coach.

Head coaching record

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Stats

Iowa State University records: * Career steals: 211 * Career complete games: 30 * Season assists: 219 (1985–1986; 2nd w/198 1983–1984) * Season, assists per-game average: 6.83 (1984; 2nd w/6.63 – 1986) NBA totals: * Games: 1,077 * Minutes played: 33,959 * Points: 15,659 (14.5 per game) * Assists: 5,281 (4.9 per game) * Steals: 1,536 (1.43 per game)

Personal life

Hornacek is of Czech descent. He is the brother-in-law of Phoenix Suns athletic trainer Aaron Nelson. When Joe Proski was the Suns' head athletic trainer, Hornacek recommended Nelson as an assistant for him. Nelson would be his assistant in 1993 before being the head athletic trainer in 2000 onward. Hornacek's father, John, was a high school coach for basketball and baseball at St. Joseph High School in

Westchester, Illinois Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of acting president after ...

. Hornacek considers his father, alongside

and

, as an influence towards his coaching career. Hornacek married his wife Stacy on June 7, 1986. Jeff and Stacy have three children: Ryan (born 1989), Tyler (born 1990) and Abby (born 1994). Abby became a digital host for the online 120 Sports network in 2016, and joined ''

Fox Nation Fox Nation is an American subscription video on demand service. Announced on February 20, 2018, and launching on November 27 of that year, it is a companion to Fox News Channel carrying programming of interest to its audience, including original ...

'' in 2019. Hornacek was an active member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Salt Lake City in 2002. Hornacek is represented by Steve A. Kauffman and Spencer Breecker of Kauffman Sports Management Group.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornacek, Jeff 1963 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Czech descent American Roman Catholics Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Illinois Houston Rockets assistant coaches Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New York Knicks head coaches People from Elmhurst, Illinois Sportspeople from La Grange, Illinois People from Paradise Valley, Arizona Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns head coaches Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois Sportspeople from the Phoenix metropolitan area Utah Jazz assistant coaches Utah Jazz players

Elementary and high school

College

NBA career

Phoenix Suns

Philadelphia 76ers

Utah Jazz

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Coaching career

Head coaching record

Stats

Personal life

See also

References

External links