Mike D'Antoni
Encyclopedia
Michael Andrew "Mike" D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951 in Mullens, West Virginia
) is an Italian-American former basketball
player and is currently the head coach of the NBA
's New York Knicks
. While head coach of the Phoenix Suns
, he won NBA Coach of the Year
honors for the 2004–05 NBA season after the Suns posted 33 more wins than the previous season. D'Antoni, who holds American and Italian dual citizenship, is known for his expertise in facilitating a fast-paced offense-oriented system.
, D'Antoni was drafted by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings
in the 2nd round of the 1973 NBA Draft
. He was all-NBA Rookie Second Team choice for 1974. After 3 seasons for the Kings (1973–1976), he played for the Spirits of St. Louis
of the American Basketball Association in 1976, and for the San Antonio Spurs
(again in the NBA) in 1977. His Spurs career lasted just two games before he found an opportunity to play successfully overseas.
D'Antoni was then called by the Italian team of Olimpia Milano
, starting a career which saw him become the club's all-time leading scorer. He was voted the league's top point guard of all time in 1990 and he paced his team to five Italian League titles, two Euroleague
titles, two Cups of Italy, one Korać Cup
and one Intercontinental Cup. Being of Italian origin, D'Antoni was also selected to play on the Italian national team
for the European championship
in 1989
.
D'Antoni's nickname in Europe was Arsène Lupin
for his ability to steal balls from other players.
Final Four and 1993 Korać Cup
. He was then chosen to coach Benetton Treviso
, another major Italian basketball club. During his tenure (1994–1997), the team captured the Cup of Europe
and Coppa Italia (in 1995) and won the national league title in 1996–97. Coach D’Antoni's Italian teams went to the playoffs each season, and he was twice voted the league's Coach of the Year. In 2001, D'Antoni returned to Italy for a second stint as the coach of Benetton Treviso. In his one season back in Europe, he led the team to a 28–8 record, a league championship and 2002
Euroleague
Final Four, coaching a team filled with many former NBA stars.
in 1997-98
as the club's director of player personnel. He also did some broadcasting work with TNT
during that season. The next year, he became Nuggets head coach, but was fired after a poor performance during the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. D'Antoni then went on to become a scout for San Antonio Spurs during the 1999–2000 season. He was also an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers
in 2000-01.
, which began an incredible turnaround for the franchise. After the addition of Nash, the D'Antoni-coached Suns won fifty or more games in four consecutive seasons. D'Antoni won the NBA Coach of the Year Award
during his first full season with the Suns. His style, dubbed "Seven Seconds or Less", was described in a book of that name
.
, winning a bronze medal. Pundits believe his familiarity with the three-point shot and the zone defense, hallmarks of the international game, will be valuable assets to the team.
D'Antoni has dual citizenship in the United States and Italy: this made him the first Italian ever to lead an NBA
team. He is fluent in both English and Italian.
requested he stay with the Suns. On May 9, D'Antoni was made an offer by the New York Knicks
. The next day, D'Antoni accepted the 4 year, $24 million offer and became the Knicks' head coach.
| align="left" |DEN
| align="left" |
|50||14||36||.280|| align="center" |6th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|61||21||40||.344|| align="center" |6th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||62||20||.756|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||15||9||6||.600
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||54||28||.659|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||20||10||10||.500
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||61||21||.744|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||11||6||5||.545
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||55||27||.671|| align="center" |2nd in Pacific||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |NYK
| align="left" |
|82||32||50||.390|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NYK
| align="left" |
|82||29||53||.354|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NYK
| align="left" |
|82||42||40||.512|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||4||0||4||.000
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||685||370||315||.540|| ||55||26||29||.473
Mullens, West Virginia
Mullens is a city in Wyoming County, West Virginia. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 1,769.Located in a valley along the Guyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001...
) is an Italian-American former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and is currently the head coach of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. While head coach of the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
, he won NBA Coach of the Year
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
honors for the 2004–05 NBA season after the Suns posted 33 more wins than the previous season. D'Antoni, who holds American and Italian dual citizenship, is known for his expertise in facilitating a fast-paced offense-oriented system.
Player career
After a college career at Marshall UniversityMarshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
, D'Antoni was drafted by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the 2nd round of the 1973 NBA Draft
1973 NBA Draft
The 1973 NBA Draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 24, 1973 before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
. He was all-NBA Rookie Second Team choice for 1974. After 3 seasons for the Kings (1973–1976), he played for the Spirits of St. Louis
Spirits of St. Louis
The Spirits of St. Louis were one of two teams still in existence at the end of the American Basketball Association that did not survive the ABA-NBA merger. They were a member of the ABA in its last two seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, while playing their home games at the St...
of the American Basketball Association in 1976, and for the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
(again in the NBA) in 1977. His Spurs career lasted just two games before he found an opportunity to play successfully overseas.
D'Antoni was then called by the Italian team of Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano
Olimpia Milano is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy, founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" because team officials imported from the United States red...
, starting a career which saw him become the club's all-time leading scorer. He was voted the league's top point guard of all time in 1990 and he paced his team to five Italian League titles, two Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
titles, two Cups of Italy, one Korać Cup
Korac Cup
The Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971-72 and 2001-02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup...
and one Intercontinental Cup. Being of Italian origin, D'Antoni was also selected to play on the Italian national team
Italy national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ....
for the European championship
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
in 1989
EuroBasket 1989
-Group A:-Group B:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # -Team rosters:#Yugoslavia: Dražen Petrović, Toni Kukoč, Vlade Divac, Dino Rađa, Žarko Paspalj, Stojan Vranković, Predrag Danilović, Jure Zdovc, Zoran Čutura, Zdravko Radulović, Zoran Radović, Mario Primorac...
.
D'Antoni's nickname in Europe was Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin
Arsène Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television such as Night Hood, stage play and comic book adaptations.- Overview :A...
for his ability to steal balls from other players.
Italy
D’Antoni began his career as head coach for his most loyal club, Milan. He remained for four seasons, from 1990 to 1994, leading the club to the 1992 European ChampionshipSuproleague
FIBA SuproLeague was the FIBA professional club basketball Champions' Cup for the 2000-01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup , though in this season of 2000-01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the ULEB's...
Final Four and 1993 Korać Cup
Korac Cup
The Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971-72 and 2001-02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup...
. He was then chosen to coach Benetton Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso, more often known by its sponsorship name of Benetton Basket, or Benetton Treviso, is an Italian Serie A League professional basketball club from Treviso, the headquarters city of its longtime owner Benetton Group...
, another major Italian basketball club. During his tenure (1994–1997), the team captured the Cup of Europe
Saporta Cup
Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
and Coppa Italia (in 1995) and won the national league title in 1996–97. Coach D’Antoni's Italian teams went to the playoffs each season, and he was twice voted the league's Coach of the Year. In 2001, D'Antoni returned to Italy for a second stint as the coach of Benetton Treviso. In his one season back in Europe, he led the team to a 28–8 record, a league championship and 2002
Euroleague 2001-02
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The Euroleague season 2001-02 started on October 10, 2001 and ended with the championship final game on May 5, 2002, in PalaMalaguti, Bologna, Italy. 32 teams competed for the championship, which was...
Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Final Four, coaching a team filled with many former NBA stars.
Early NBA
The first NBA coaching job held by D'Antoni was with the Denver NuggetsDenver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
in 1997-98
1997-98 NBA season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...
as the club's director of player personnel. He also did some broadcasting work with TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
during that season. The next year, he became Nuggets head coach, but was fired after a poor performance during the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. D'Antoni then went on to become a scout for San Antonio Spurs during the 1999–2000 season. He was also an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in 2000-01.
Phoenix Suns
In 2002, he made his return to the NBA as a Phoenix Suns assistant. In 2003, D'Antoni was hired with 61 games left in the season as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and, despite leading the team to a poor record in the second half of the year, he received a vote of confidence for producing inspired play from an injury riddled team. The next season, D'Antoni helped the team acquire Steve NashSteve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
, which began an incredible turnaround for the franchise. After the addition of Nash, the D'Antoni-coached Suns won fifty or more games in four consecutive seasons. D'Antoni won the NBA Coach of the Year Award
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
during his first full season with the Suns. His style, dubbed "Seven Seconds or Less", was described in a book of that name
Seven Seconds or Less
:07 Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns is a book written by Jack McCallum about the Phoenix Suns' 2005–06 NBA season...
.
Team USA
D'Antoni was selected to the coaching staff for the Team USA Olympic Basketball squad under head coach Mike Krzyzewski and participated in the 2006 FIBA World Championship2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, winning a bronze medal. Pundits believe his familiarity with the three-point shot and the zone defense, hallmarks of the international game, will be valuable assets to the team.
D'Antoni has dual citizenship in the United States and Italy: this made him the first Italian ever to lead an NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
team. He is fluent in both English and Italian.
New York Knicks
As of May 5, 2008, D'Antoni was told that he was free to speak with other teams about a coaching job next season, although Steve KerrSteve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
requested he stay with the Suns. On May 9, D'Antoni was made an offer by the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. The next day, D'Antoni accepted the 4 year, $24 million offer and became the Knicks' head coach.
Head coaching record
|-| align="left" |DEN
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| align="left" |
|50||14||36||.280|| align="center" |6th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHX
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
| align="left" |
|61||21||40||.344|| align="center" |6th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||62||20||.756|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||15||9||6||.600
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||54||28||.659|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||20||10||10||.500
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||61||21||.744|| align="center" |1st in Pacific||11||6||5||.545
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
|-
| align="left" |PHX
| align="left" |
|82||55||27||.671|| align="center" |2nd in Pacific||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
|-
| align="left" |NYK
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| align="left" |
|82||32||50||.390|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NYK
| align="left" |
|82||29||53||.354|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NYK
| align="left" |
|82||42||40||.512|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||4||0||4||.000
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||685||370||315||.540|| ||55||26||29||.473