Michael Longabardi (born February 23, 1973) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

assistant coach for the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was found ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. He was previously an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers,

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

and

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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, winning an NBA Finals championship with both the Celtics and Cavaliers.

Early life and college career

Longabardi was born and raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, and attended

Xaverian High School Xaverian High School is a private Catholic high school located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, serving grades 6 through 12. Grades 9-12 offer a college prep program and grades 6-8 are a middle school. History The school was ...

, a private Catholic school. He went on to play basketball at

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

where he earned the nickname "Mr. Defense." After two years at Newberry College, Longabardi transferred to

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

. He graduated from Frostburg State with a bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education.

College coaching career

Longabardi began his career as an assistant head coach for

Pfeiffer University Pfeiffer University is a private university in Misenheimer, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. The schoo ...

. After one season at Pfeiffer, Longabardi took a position as assistant coach at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

. Adelphi made two consecutive

NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament (officially styled by the NCAA as a "Championship" instead of a "Tournament") is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of ...

appearances in 1998 and 1999. In 2000, he took a job as an assistant coach at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, where he helped guide the team to a Patriot League Title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2002, he became an assistant coach at

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

NBA coaching career

Houston Rockets

During the summer of 2001, Longabardi helped coach the NACEL Open Door College All-Star Team with Bill Van Gundy, the father of both Stan Van Gundy and

Jeff Van Gundy Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...

. When Jeff Van Gundy was hired as the new head coach of the Houston Rockets in 2003, he hired Longabardi to join the staff. In his first year in Houston, he was as the assistant video coordinator and one year later he was promoted to lead video coordinator.

Boston Celtics

In 2007, Longabardi was hired by the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach. He worked under

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing for Marquette Universit ...

and

Tom Thibodeau Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national ...

. In his first season with the Celtics, the team went on to win the NBA Championship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2. In 2009, Longabardi became the Celtics full-time defensive coordinator.

Phoenix Suns

On June 25, 2013, Mike Longabardi became an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns under head coach

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

. In Longabardi's first year, the Suns had a record of 48–34, which was a drastic improvement from the previous year (25–57).

Cleveland Cavaliers

In 2016, Longabardi was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers to be their defensive coordinator under head coach Tyronn Lue. In his first year with the team, the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship.

Washington Wizards

On August 1, 2019, Longabardi was hired as an assistant coach by the

under head coach

Scott Brooks Scott William Brooks (born July 31, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the top assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played point guard at San Joa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longabardi, Mike 1973 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Boston Celtics assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Delaware Blue Coats coaches Frostburg State University alumni Houston Rockets assistant coaches Lafayette Leopards men's basketball coaches Newberry Wolves men's basketball players Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Sacramento Kings assistant coaches Basketball players from Brooklyn Towson Tigers men's basketball coaches Washington Wizards assistant coaches Xaverian High School alumni