Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) 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 the head coach for the
South Bay Lakers
The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first National Basketball Associa ...
of the
NBA G 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 ...
.
College career
Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mother. He played guard for the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
Wildcats men's basketball team,
where he formed a formidable backcourt duo with future NBA point guard
Mike Bibby
Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
. He was named the
Most Outstanding Player in the 1997
NCAA tournament in which
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
defeated three #1 seeded teams
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
,
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
, and
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
in
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), ...
to win the national championship.
Simon had two 30-point performances during the 1997 NCAA tournament, including the championship game. In 2008, he was inducted into the
Pac-12 Hall of Honor
The Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor recognizes former athletes and coaches who have made a significant impact to the tradition and heritage of the Pac-12 Conference. Established in 2002, one honoree is selected by each member institution in the c ...
.
Professional career
After college, Simon played five games 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 ...
during the 1999 NBA season. He played for two seasons for the
Dakota Wizards
The Dakota Wizards were an American professional basketball team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. They played in the NBA Development League from 2006 until 2012. After the 2011–12 season, the team relocated to Santa Cruz, California, and now pl ...
of the
CBA, whom he led to a CBA championship in 2002.
Simon earned enough awards and honors in 2001–2002 to make him the most decorated player in CBA history. He received honors as Player of the Week four times. He was named the CBA Newcomer of the Year, the CBA MVP, and the Playoff MVP.
He also holds the CBA record for most free throws made in a row at 60.
Post-playing career
In 2005, Simon was announced as an assistant coach under his collegiate head coach
Lute Olson
Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...
at his alma mater winning the conference championship and reaching the
Elite Eight
In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
in March 2005. He remained an assistant coach until May 2008,
when it was announced by the Arizona athletics department that his coaching contract would not be renewed.
Simon worked with
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
as an analyst.
On June 27, 2017, he joined 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 ...
as an assistant coach. In 2021, he was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers' development team, the
South Bay Lakers
The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first National Basketball Associa ...
, in the
NBA G 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 ...
.
References
External links
*
1975 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Israel
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
American people of Norwegian descent
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball coaches
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players
Basket Livorno players
College basketball announcers in the United States
Dakota Wizards (CBA) players
Hapoel Holon players
Israeli Basketball Premier League players
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches
Maccabi Ra'anana players
National Basketball Association players from Sweden
Orlando Magic draft picks
Orlando Magic players
Pallacanestro Reggiana players
Pallacanestro Varese players
Point guards
Sportspeople from Stockholm
Tuborg Pilsener basketball players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
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