David Joerger ( AY-ger (born February 21, 1974) 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 who serves as an assistant coach for 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 Ea ...

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 was the head coach of 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 ...

from 2000 to 2004 and in 2006–2007 in the

International Basketball Association The International Basketball Association (IBA) was founded in 1995 by a group of businessmen led by Tom Anderson. The original owners of franchises in the league were George Daniel (Black Hills Posse-Rapid City, SD), John Korsmo, Al Gardner, and A ...

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

, and the

NBA Development 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 Dev ...

, winning championships in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2007. He also coached 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 ...

from 2004 to 2006, winning a championship in 2005. In the NBA, Joerger served as head coach of the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

from 2013 to 2016, and

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 ...

from 2016 to 2019.

Early coaching career

After a playing career at Concordia College and Moorhead State (now known as

Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM is a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities ...

), Joerger joined the

of the

as the team's general manager. He became the team's assistant coach in 1997 and eventually took over as the head coach for the 2000–01 IBA season. Joerger had immediate success as a head coach, leading his team to a 30–10 regular season record. After being down 0–2 in the IBA Finals best-of-5 series, the Wizards came back to defeat the Des Moines Dragons 3–2, winning their first championship.

IBA to CBA

Joerger remained with the Wizards as IBA, IBL, and CBA teams merged to create the new Continental Basketball Association after the league declared bankruptcy under the ownership of

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for '' NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Gr ...

. As a former IBA team, the Wizards were declared "lower-tier" in the 2001–02 season and were given a shorter schedule with two other former IBA teams and an expansion team to make up the National Conference. With Joerger at the helm, the Wizards finished with a league-leading 26–14 record. For his success, Joerger was named the CBA Coach of the Year. After sweeping the

Fargo-Moorhead Beez The Fargo-Moorhead Beez was a professional basketball club based in Fargo, North Dakota that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 1995-1996 season. They were the 1995-1996 and the 1997-1998 International Basketball ...

3–0 in the conference finals, Joerger won his first CBA championship as his team defeated the

Rockford Lightning The Rockford Lightning was a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. History The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses fro ...

116–109 in a winner-take-all championship game. Joerger continued to have success with the Wizards in the CBA, reaching the conference finals with a league-leading 31–17 regular season record in 2002–03 before losing to the

Yakima Sun Kings The Yakima SunKings are a basketball team located in Yakima, Washington, covering the central Washington sports market of Yakima, Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg and plays at the Yakima SunDome. The team competed in the Continental Basketball Associat ...

3–1. Throughout the 2003–04 season, Joerger lost six players to NBA call-ups, which included Sean Lampley,

Oliver Miller Oliver J. Miller (born April 6, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "The Big O" because of his large size ( and well over throughout his pro career). Miller played college basketball at the University of ...

Kaniel Dickens Kaniel Dickens (born July 21, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (50th pick overall) in the 2000 NBA draft. College career Dickens first played college basketball for ...

, Maurice Carter, Eddie Gill, and Rodney Buford. Despite losing talent, Joerger still managed to coach his team to a league-best 34–14 regular season record, and was again named the CBA Coach of the Year. With Dickens and Carter back from the NBA, the Wizards defeated the Rockford Lightning 3–1 in the semi-finals and won their second CBA championship with a 132–129 victory over the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. Following another championship season and a stint with the

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

's Cedar Rapids River Raiders, Joerger left the Wizards for an opportunity to coach the

. With the Skyforce, a franchise that had missed the play-offs the past few seasons, Joerger had immediate success, guiding them to a 31–17 record and faced off against his former assistant, Casey Owens, and the Dakota Wizards in the conference finals. In 5 games, the Skyforce came out on top and went on to defeat the Rockford Lightning 3–1 for the 2004–05 CBA championship. In the 2005–06 season, despite going 2–0 in a round-robin playoff format based on quarter point percentage, Joerger missed out on just his second championship as a head coach after a 30–18 regular season.

CBA to D-League

In April 2006, the Skyforce, the Wizards, and the

made the jump from the CBA to the

. In May, Joerger left the Skyforce and returned to the Wizards as the head coach once again. As expected, Joerger had immediate success in the D-League, guiding the Wizards to a league-best 33–17 record. After a first round bye, Joerger's team knocked off the Skyforce 115–113 in a one-and-done semi-final and went on to defeat the

Colorado 14ers Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of th ...

129–121 in a classic overtime championship game.

NBA

Memphis Grizzlies

With five minor league championships under his belt, the

finally took notice and Joerger was hired by the

as an assistant coach for the 2007–08 season under head coach

Marc Iavaroni Marcus John Iavaroni (born September 15, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as an assistant coach for several ...

. In 2011, under

Lionel Hollins Lionel Eugene Hollins (born October 19, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player currently serving as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland ...

, Joerger was promoted to lead assistant and took over as the team's defense specialist. The Grizzlies improved in defensive efficiency from 24th overall in 2010 to 9th in 2011, 7th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013. On June 10, 2013, the Grizzlies organization announced that Lionel Hollins would not be returning as the team's head coach, despite reaching the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. On June 27, 2013, Joerger was hired as the Grizzlies' head coach for the 2013–14 season. In his first year, Joerger was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month in both January and April. On May 28, 2014, it was announced that Joerger was signed to a 3-year contract extension. On May 7, 2016, Joerger was fired by the Grizzlies after three seasons as the team's head coach.

Sacramento Kings

On May 9, 2016, just two days after being fired by the Grizzlies, Joerger signed with the

to become their head coach. On April 11, 2019, the Kings fired Joerger after the team failed to reach the playoffs in three seasons under Joerger; in his last season as coach, the Kings had their best record since they last reached the playoffs in the 2005-06 season.

Philadelphia 76ers

On November 9, 2020, the

hired Joerger as an assistant coach 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 ...

. A few games into the 2021–2022 season, it was reported that Joerger would be seeking treatment for cancer, and would be away from the team for several weeks.

Head coaching record

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References

External links

NBA.com profile

Dave Joerger Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joerger, Dave 1974 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Minnesota Basketball players from Minnesota Concordia Cobbers men's basketball players Continental Basketball Association coaches Dakota Wizards coaches Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Memphis Grizzlies head coaches Minnesota State–Moorhead Dragons men's basketball players People from Staples, Minnesota Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Point guards Sacramento Kings head coaches United States Basketball League coaches