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 (appro ...

coach who is an assistant coach for the

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He was the head coach of the Dakota Wizards from 2000 to 2004 and in 2006–2007 in the International Basketball Association,

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 m ...

, and the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, winning championships in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2007. He also coached the Sioux Falls Skyforce 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 Southwest Division of the ...

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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

from 2016 to 2019.

Early coaching career

Joerger played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

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, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

). He played as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

. Joerger joined the Dakota Wizards of the International Basketball Association 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), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

. 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 3–0 in the conference finals, Joerger won his first CBA championship as his team defeated the Rockford Lightning 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 3–1. Throughout the 2003–04 season, Joerger lost six players to NBA call-ups, which included Sean Lampley, Oliver Miller, Kaniel Dickens, 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. Following another championship season and a stint with the USBL's Cedar Rapids River Raiders, Joerger left the Wizards for an opportunity to coach the Sioux Falls Skyforce. 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 Idaho Stampede 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 is a state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, ...

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. In 2011, under

Lionel Hollins Lionel Eugene Hollins (born October 19, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Holli ...

, 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

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

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 of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

. 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.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Shortly before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, Joerger joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as a consultant to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Milwaukee Bucks

In January 2024 Joerger was added to the Milwaukee Bucks staff as an assistant coach by Doc Rivers who was brought in as Head Coach of Milwaukee in mid-season. Joerger had previously been an assistant under

in Philadelphia.

Head coaching record

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References

External links

NBA.com profile

Dave Joerger Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joerger, Dave 1974 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen 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 Milwaukee Bucks assistant 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