Marcus John Iavaroni (born September 15, 1956) is an American former 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 ...

player and former 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 ...

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 also served as an assistant coach for several NBA teams. Iavaroni was a star player at

Plainview, New York Plainview is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Oyster Bay (town), New York, Oyster Bay in east central Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainv ...

's John F. Kennedy High School in the 1970s and a teammate of Seth Greenberg. Iavaroni, who joined the NBA at age 26 after playing four seasons in Europe, was an important role player as a rookie on the 1983

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 ...

championship team, where he started 77 games in the regular season. In the

1983 NBA Finals The 1983 NBA World Championship Series, also known as Showdown '83, was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1982–83 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It was the last NBA Championship Ser ...

, Iavaroni averaged 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in a four-game sweep. He later played for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, where he averaged career-highs of 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 1985, and the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

Iavaroni also played professionally in

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

and

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

before retiring in 1992, playing a total of six seasons in Italy and Spain: four after his college career and two following his NBA career. His coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. Following his playing career, he was also an assistant coach for two seasons at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

from 1992 to 1994. The first NBA coaching experience for Iavaroni came in 1997, when he was hired as a

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 ...

assistant, working mainly with forwards. In 1999, he moved to the front office of the

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

as director of player development. Since 2002, he served as an assistant to

Mike D'Antoni Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While h ...

at the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. On May 30, 2007, Iavaroni was named the head coach of the

. On January 22, 2009, he was fired by the Grizzlies after an 11–30 start to the 2008–09 season.Toronto Raptors hire Marc Iavaroni as assistant to Jay Triano – ESPN
/ref> On June 5, 2009, the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

announced that Iavaroni would become an assistant coach to Jay Triano. On July 17, 2010, the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

announced that Iavaroni would become an assistant coach to newly hired Vinny Del Negro. He remained in that role until 2013.

Head coaching record

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iavaroni, Marc 1956 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Baloncesto Málaga players Pallacanestro Brescia players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from Nassau County, New York Basketball players from Queens, New York Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball coaches Fulgor Libertas Forlì players Liga ACB players Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches Memphis Grizzlies head coaches Miami Heat assistant coaches New York Knicks draft picks Olimpia Milano players People from Jamaica, Queens People from Plainview, New York Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Power forwards San Antonio Spurs players Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) players Toronto Raptors assistant coaches Utah Jazz players Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players