Nathaniel McMillan (born August 3, 1964) 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 serves as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2012, and the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

from 2016 to 2020. He spent his entire 12-year NBA playing career with the SuperSonics, then served as an assistant coach for one-and-a-half years and as head coach for almost five years. His long tenure as a player and coach in Seattle earned him the nickname "Mr. Sonic".

High school and college career

McMillan grew up in the heart of North Carolina's basketball country and attended Raleigh's

William G. Enloe High School William G. Enloe High School, also known as Enloe Magnet High School or Enloe High School, is a public magnet high school offering Gifted & Talented and International Baccalaureate programs located in eastern Raleigh, North Carolina, United Stat ...

, where he went unnoticed by major college scouts. After playing for two years at

Chowan College Chowan University ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Caro ...

(then a two-year school) in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, he returned to Raleigh to play for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State. McMillan helped lead NC State to a first-place tie in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...

regular season in 1985, and to 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 both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA Championship Tournaments, where the Wolfpack lost to St. John's and

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

, respectively. During his time at NC State, McMillan played alongside a number of fellow future NBA players: Spud Webb, Lorenzo Charles, Cozell McQueen, Chris Washburn, Vinny Del Negro,

Charles Shackleford Charles Edward Shackleford (April 22, 1966 – January 27, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He played center and power forward, he was renowned for his rebounding – regularly leading leagues in Europe. He played 6 seasons in ...

, and Chucky Brown.

Professional career

McMillan was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 30th pick in the 1986 NBA draft. He spent his entire NBA career in Seattle. During his 12-year playing career, McMillan put up career averages of 5.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals. He still shares (with Ernie DiGregorio) the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. McMillan served as the primary starting point guard for the SuperSonics from the time he replaced Danny Young midway through the 1986-87 season, until he was replaced at the start of the 1990-91 season by future NBA Hall of Famer

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with ...

, then a rookie and the number two pick in the 1990 draft. McMillan was known for his superb defense, leading the NBA in steals per game for the 1993–94 season and being named to the

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. McMillan was also known for his balanced play, which led to four career triple-doubles. In the 1995–96 season, McMillan helped the SuperSonics reach the NBA Finals against the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

-led Chicago Bulls. The SuperSonics were the only team to beat the Bulls three times that season (once in the regular season and twice in the playoffs). Known as "Mr. Sonic" for his 19 years of service to the team, his number 10 jersey was retired by the SuperSonics. He was also known to be one third of the "Big Mac" trio of the SuperSonics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the others being Xavier McDaniel and Derrick McKey.

Coaching career

Seattle SuperSonics (1998–2005)

After retiring in 1998, McMillan stayed in Seattle as an assistant under Paul Westphal. He held this role until 2000 when the Sonics fired Westphal and made McMillan interim coach. Although the team missed the playoffs during his first year, he earned a winning record of 38–29 as interim head coach. He was hired as head coach for the 2001–02 campaign and led the club to the playoffs. McMillan's Sonics had mediocre records the next two years, going 40–42 and 37–45. In the 2004–05 season, he led the team to 52–30 record in the regular season. The team advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2012)

After spending 19 years in Seattle as a player and coach, McMillan left Seattle on July 6, 2005, to become the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. He took over a team riddled with cap problems and off-the-court drama, but steadily calmed the waters in Portland. His hard-nosed coaching style earned him the nickname "Sarge." On December 5, 2009, McMillan ruptured his right

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ...

while scrimmaging with the Trail Blazers during practice. He coached much of the season in a protective boot after surgery and led the team to 50 wins in spite of a historic number of injuries to his key players. McMillan coached the Blazers until March 15, 2012.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2020)

On July 1, 2013, McMillan was hired by the

as an assistant coach for the 2013–14 season. He replaced Brian Shaw, who accepted the head coaching position with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. In May 2016, after former head coach

Frank Vogel Frank Paul Vogel (born June 21, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach. He previously served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Vogel also previ ...

's contract was not extended, McMillan was promoted to replace Vogel as the Pacers' coach. In McMillan's first year as head coach, the team experienced turmoil surrounding the displeasure and eventual departure of All-Star

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2017. Despite this drama, the Pacers made the playoffs in all four of McMillan's seasons with the team, including three straight years without George. This was due largely to the emergence of the two players for whom he was traded,

Victor Oladipo Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where in the 2012-2013 s ...

, who won the league's award for Most Improved Player in 2017 and was named to his first All-Star team in 2018, and Domantas Sabonis, who would also become an All-Star two years later in 2019. On August 12, 2020, Indiana announced that they had extended McMillan's contract. However, he was then fired a mere two weeks later, on August 26, 2020, after the Pacers were swept in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row, the fourth first round exit and third first round sweep in four playoff appearances under McMillan.

Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)

On November 11, 2020, the Atlanta Hawks hired McMillan as an assistant coach under

Lloyd Pierce Lloyd Daniel Pierce (born May 11, 1976) is an American basketball coach who serves as the lead assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously coached for the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis G ...

. On March 1, 2021, McMillan was named interim head coach after the firing of Pierce. Following McMillan's promotion, Atlanta promptly went on an eight-game winning streak, begun with a victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on March 2, 2021, and capped off by a win over the defending NBA champion

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 ...

on March 20, 2021. The Hawks finished the season 27-11 under McMillan's leadership, ending a four-year playoff drought and earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta's success continued on into the playoffs. They beat the fourth-seeded

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 ...

in five games, and continued their improbable run by upsetting the top-seeded

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 Ea ...

in a hard-fought seven-game series. With that series win, the Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, only the second time in 54 years they have advanced past the second round. There they faced the third-seeded

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

, led by two-time league MVP

Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his ...

. McMillan led the Hawks to their first ever win in the Conference Finals, defeating the

116–113 in Game 1. However, the Hawks would lose the series in six games. On July 5, McMillan and the Hawks agreed in principle to drop the "interim" tag from his title and make him the franchise's 14th head coach since the team moved to Atlanta, with a four-year contract. General manager

Travis Schlenk Travis Schlenk (born 1976 or 1977) is the former president of the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Prior to joining the Hawks in May 2017, Schlenk was the assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors, having joined that team prior to the 2004-0 ...

said that while the language of the contract was still being drawn up, "I'm excited he's going to be our head coach going forward." The deal was formally announced on July 7, with Schlenk praising the "incredible job" McMillan had done after taking over the team in mid-season.

National team career

McMillan was an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski for the US national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship and in the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

, winning bronze and gold medals, respectively. He is also a member of the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame, due to his All-American performance at Chowan. McMillan again served as an assistant coach under Krzyzewski for the US national team during the

2012 London Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

Career statistics

Source

NBA

Regular season

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

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, 71 , , 50 , , 27.8 , , .475 , , .000 , , .617 , , 4.7 , , 8.2 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 29.9 , , .474 , , .375 , , .707 , , 4.1 , , 8.6 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;, , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 74 , , 31.2 , , .410 , , .214 , , .630 , , 5.2 , , 9.3 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 69 , , 28.5 , , .473 , , .355 , , .641 , , 4.9 , , 7.3 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .433 , , .354 , , .613 , , 3.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 30 , , 22.9 , , .437 , , .276 , , .643 , , 3.5 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 25 , , 27.1 , , .464 , , .385 , , .709 , , 4.2 , , 5.3 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 8 , , 25.8 , , .447 , , .391 , , .564 , , 3.9 , , 5.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 3.0* , , .3 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 18 , , 25.9 , , .418 , , .342 , , .586 , , 3.8 , , 5.3 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 14 , , 22.9 , , .420 , , .340 , , .707 , , 3.8 , , 3.6 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 2 , , 21.6 , , .409 , , .333 , , .655 , , 3.2 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 1 , , 15.5 , , .343 , , .441 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , 3.4 , - class=sortbottom , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 796 , , 373 , , 25.7 , , .443 , , .343 , , .650 , , 4.0 , , 6.1 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , 5.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1987 , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 14 , , 25.4 , , .435 , , – , , .708 , , 3.9 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 25.4 , , .343 , , .000 , , .643 , , 4.2 , , 6.6 , , .4 , , .6 , , 6.6 , - , 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;",

, 8 , , 7 , , 25.5 , , .475 , , .000 , , .640 , , 3.1 , , 7.9 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 19.0 , , .261 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.6 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992 , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 2 , , 27.3 , , .422 , , .231 , , .714 , , 3.7 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993 , style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , 2 , , 21.8 , , .340 , , .208 , , .533 , , 3.5 , , 5.4 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , 4.8 , - , 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 sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

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

, 5 , , 0 , , 21.8 , , .320 , , .364 , , .250 , , 3.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 28.3 , , .348 , , .125 , , 1.000 , , 4.5 , , 7.3 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

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

, 19 , , 0 , , 20.3 , , .406 , , .475 , , .643 , , 3.7 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 13.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , – , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1998 , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 14.1 , , .333 , , .167 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - class=sortbottom , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 98 , , 34 , , 22.3 , , .381 , , .289 , , .632 , , 3.5 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 5.0

Head coaching record

, - , align="left",

, align="left", , 67, , 38, , 29, , , , align="center" , 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 45, , 37, , , , align="center" , 4th in Pacific, , 5, , 2, , 3, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 40, , 42, , , , align="center" , 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 37, , 45, , , , align="center" , 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 52, , 30, , , , align="center" , 1st in

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...

, , 11, , 6, , 5, , .545 , align="center", Lost in Conference Semifinals , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 21, , 61, , , , align="center" , 5th in Northwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 32, , 50, , , , align="center" , 3rd in Northwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 41, , 41, , , , align="center" , 3rd in Northwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", Missed playoffs , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 54, , 28, , , , align="center" , 1st in Northwest, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 50, , 32, , , , align="center" , 3rd in Northwest, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 82, , 48, , 34, , , , align="center" , 3rd in Northwest, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left", Portland , align="left", , 43, , 20, , 23, , , , align="center" , (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center", — , - , align="left",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, align="left", , 82, , 42, , 40, , , , align="center" , 4th in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

, , 4, , 0, , 4, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 48, , 34, , , , align="center" , 2nd in Central, , 7, , 3, , 4, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 48, , 34, , , , align="center" , 2nd in Central, , 4, , 0, , 4, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left",

, align="left", , 73, , 45, , 28, , , , align="center" , 2nd in Central, , 4, , 0, , 4, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - , align="left",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, align="left", , 38, , 27, , 11, , , , align="center" , 1st in Southeast, , 18, , 10, , 8, , , align="center", Lost in

Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to: * NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association * NHL Conference Finals, National Hockey League * KHL Conference Finals The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and We ...

, - , align="left",

, align="left", , 82, , 43, , 39, , , , align="center" , 2nd in Southeast, , 5, , 1, , 4, , , align="center", Lost in First Round , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career, , 1,369, , 731, , 638, , , , , , 76, , 28, , 48, , , ,

Personal life

His son Jamelle played as a guard for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...

and was an assistant coach with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

from 2013 to 2020. Jamelle is now an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks working for his father.

References

External links

Career NBA stats as a coach
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, Nate 1964 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from Raleigh, North Carolina Chowan Hawks men's basketball players Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Indiana Pacers head coaches Junior college men's basketball players in the United States National Basketball Association players with retired numbers NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players People from West Linn, Oregon Point guards Portland Trail Blazers head coaches Atlanta Hawks head coaches Seattle SuperSonics assistant coaches Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Seattle SuperSonics head coaches Seattle SuperSonics players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina Sportspeople from the Portland metropolitan area William G. Enloe High School alumni

High school and college career

Professional career

Coaching career

Seattle SuperSonics (1998–2005)

Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2012)

Indiana Pacers (2013–2020)

Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

Personal life

See also

References

External links