Jazz announce hiring of Celtics assistant Will Hardy as next Utah head coach
The Utah Jazz found a replacement for Quin Snyder after he surprisingly left the team in June. Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy is the next head coach of the Utah Jazz, the team announced Wednesday.
Hardy, 34, will join the Jazz after spending one season with the Celtics. Prior to joining Ime Udoka's staff, Hardy spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. Hardy also served as a member of Team USA's coaching staff at the 2020 Olympic games.
“Will Hardy is one of the brightest young leaders in the NBA,” Utah Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a release. “He understands the importance of setting a vision and creating a culture for players. He places great value on communication, player development and creating the most productive environment for players to succeed. His experience on coaching staffs that have made the NBA Finals and with USA Basketball are invaluable and have helped prepare him for this moment. We couldn’t be more excited for Will to lead the Jazz moving forward.”
Hardy played college basketball at Williams College, and joined the Spurs after leaving the school. Hardy initially started in the video room before working his way to assistant coach with the Spurs. He also coached the team's Summer League squad.
Prior to joining the Celtics, Hardy received head coaching interviews with the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder. After those teams passed, Hardy joined Udoka's staff in Boston.
Hardy's one season in Boston may have influenced the Jazz's decision to give him a shot. Former Boston Celtics executive Ainge helped lead the Jazz's coaching search. Ainge and Hardy did not overlap with the Celtics. Ainge stepped down as a Celtics executive last June. Hardy joined the team a few weeks later. Ainge then decided to join the Jazz last December, and was entrusted with running the team's coaching search after Snyder stepped down.
