Lloyd Daniel Pierce (born May 11, 1976) 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 (appro ...

coach who serves as the lead assistant coach for 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

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 has previously coached for the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies,

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, and

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. In addition to coaching, he has also played internationally.

Playing career

Pierce made the varsity of Yerba Buena High School as a freshman in 1990. He loved playing defense and was considered one of the best-ever players from the San Jose area. He earned a full basketball scholarship to Santa Clara University. With future NBA players Steve Nash and Marlon Garnett, the Santa Clara Broncos made the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

three times in four years from 1993 to 1996. Pierce helped guide the Broncos to the 1995 and 1996 NCAA tournaments (his freshman and sophomore seasons), advancing to the NCAA 2nd Round in 1996.Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce has come a long way from that kid at the playground
/ref> He was an honorable mention for all- West Coast Conference and averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game during his college playing years.Lloyd Pierce profile in Santa Clara Athletics
/ref> Pierce played professionally for four seasons in Mexico, Australia, Germany, and Turkey.Meet Hawks Coach Lloyd Pierce ’98
/ref>

Coaching career

Santa Clara University

Pierce started coaching by serving as a volunteer for the position of director of basketball operations at Santa Clara in the 2002–03 season. He was part of Dick Davey's staff until 2007. In 2016, he would become a finalist for the Santa Clara University Broncos head coaching job.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Pierce served as the coordinator for player development for the

from 2007 to 2010.

Golden State Warriors

Pierce was an assistant coach with the

during the 2010–11 season under head coach Keith Smart.

Memphis Grizzlies

Pierce began coaching the Memphis Grizzlies in 2011 and worked under head coach Lionel Hollins. He was also part of the player development staff.

Philadelphia 76ers

Pierce joined the Philadelphia 76ers just before the 2013–14 season. He would be involved with the team throughout the next few seasons, becoming in charge of the team's defense and being involved in playcalling during timeouts.

Atlanta Hawks

On May 11, 2018, Pierce was hired by the

as head coach. The Hawks fired Pierce on March 1, 2021, after the team's 14–20 start to the season.

Indiana Pacers

Following his departure from Atlanta, Pierce was hired as the lead assistant coach for the

Head coaching record

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Personal life

Pierce graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in business management. After graduation, he was a special education teacher for Pinnacle Academy in Santa Clara and also worked for a local financial services firm. He married his wife Melissa in 2015 and the two first had a child in 2018. Pierce missed three games of the 2020–21 season due to birth of his second child.

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Lloyd 1976 births Living people African-American basketball coaches American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks head coaches Basketball coaches from California Basketball players from San Jose, California Golden State Warriors assistant coaches Guards (basketball) Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball coaches Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball players Soles de Jalisco players Tigers Tübingen players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen