Stephen Silas (born August 6, 1973) 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. He is the son of NBA star player and head coach Paul Silas. He worked under his father at the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

from 2000 to 2002,

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

from 2002 to 2003, and the

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 ...

from 2003 to 2005. He also served as an advance scout for the

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

during the 2005–06 season, and as an assistant coach for the

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 ...

from 2006 to 2010, before leaving to rejoin his father in Charlotte where he worked from 2010 until 2018. He was head coach of the Rockets from 2020 to 2023. At the time of his hiring as an assistant with the Hornets on June 5, 2000, he was the youngest assistant in the NBA at the age of 26.

Early career

Silas was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and grew up in Boston and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He attended John Jay High School in Cross River, New York, while his father served as an assistant coach for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. He played a

postgraduate year A postgraduate (PG) year is an extra year of secondary coursework at a boarding school following high school graduation, but before entering college. It is a gap year option intended for students who either have not applied or were not admitt ...

of basketball at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Connecticut. Silas graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1996 with bachelor's degrees in sociology and management. While studying, he played four seasons for the university's basketball team. After graduation and before joining the NBA, Silas spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

Coaching career

Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2000–2002)

Silas also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets while his father, Paul Silas, was coaching the team. Silas originally joined the Hornets in the summer of 1999 as an advance and college scout, scouting nearly 200 NBA and college games in that role. He also served as the head coach for the Hornets Summer League squad at the 2002 Orlando Summer Pro League.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2005)

Silas spent five seasons on the coaching staffs of his father with the

and both Hornets' franchises. He served as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2005, where he worked closely with

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

and was responsible for individual skill work, player development, game preparation, pre-game walkthroughs as well as the management and development of the technology and NBA scouting systems for the coaching staff. Silas also served as head coach for the Cavaliers 2003 Summer League teams in Boston and Orlando.

Golden State Warriors (2006–2010)

Prior to joining the Warriors, Silas served as an advance scout for the

during the 2005–06 season. Silas spent more than five years coaching with the

. He did not only work with his father, but also worked for legendary

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

. With the Warriors, Silas concentrated on the development of perimeter players as well as game preparation and managing the team's offensive and defensive playbook. One of these perimeter players included the two-time MVP

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

. He also served as the head coach for the Warriors' Summer League entry in Las Vegas.

Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2010–2018)

In 2010, he joined the Charlotte Bobcats after his father became interim head coach of the team. During the 2011–12 season, on several occasions Silas served as the head coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. Silas assisted the Hornets to the playoffs in the 2013–14 and 2015–16 seasons and during the 2013–14 season, the Hornets finished with the second highest number of single season wins in franchise history (43). At the end of the 2015–16 season, Silas emerged as a leading candidate to fill the head coaching position for the

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

, although

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 ...

ended up getting the job. On December 4, 2017, Silas filled in as head coach of the Hornets when

Steve Clifford Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who serves as a front office advisor for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the ...

became ill, and continued to do so until Clifford returned on January 16, 2018.

Dallas Mavericks (2018–2020)

On May 24, 2018, Silas joined the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

as an assistant coach under championship head coach

Rick Carlisle Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroi ...

Houston Rockets (2020–2023)

On October 30, 2020, Silas was named the head coach for the

, this marked Silas first time getting the job of a head coach. At the time, the team had

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

and

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...

on the roster, and it was a very exciting position for Silas to take. However, Westbrook got traded to the

on December 2, 2020, after requesting a trade. Just a month later, the team traded Harden to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

. Silas and the Rockets started out the 2020–21 season with a 11–10 record, but when Rockets forward Christian Wood injured his right knee in a win against 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 ...

on February 4, 2021, Silas and his Rockets started to struggle, going on a 20-game losing streak. Unfortunately for Silas and the Rockets, in his first season, they had to play a league-record 30 players due to various injuries and trades, even playing with only seven or eight players for some games near the end of the season, and they finished with a league-worst 17–55 record. In the following 2021–22 season, Silas and the Rockets were once again at the bottom of the Western Conference, finishing with a 20–62 record. In the 2022–23 season, the Rockets finished with a 22–60 record, second-worst in the Western Conference. On April 10, 2023, it was announced that the Rockets released Silas after they chose not to pick up his fourth year option. Silas finished his tenure as the Rockets coach with a 59–177 record (.250). The stretch he coached the team was the worst three-season stretch in franchise history. Silas also holds the worst coaching record in NBA history among those to coach at least 200 NBA games. However, this is not surprising, as the owner of the Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta, revealed that the team intentionally 'tanked' (attempted to finish in the bottom of the standings) for those 3 seasons in order to acquire higher-quality draft picks while the team was able to rebuild in that manner.

Detroit Pistons (2023–2024)

On June 5, 2023, Silas accepted the role of top assistant coach for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, working alongside the recently appointed head coach,

Monty Williams Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach, executive, and former player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of the TMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He pre ...

International coaching

Internationally, Silas has worked at many camps and clinics across the globe to help promote the game of basketball and the NBA. Recently, he served as coach at the Korea Development Camp in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, working in conjunction with the NBA and Korean Basketball League. In 2008, he served as a coach at the NBA's

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

camp in Africa, as well as in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

during the summer of 2005. And in 2004, he represented the NBA Coaches Association at the Dirk Nowitzki Basketball Academy in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. In October 2024, it was announced that Stephen Silas would serve as head coach of Team USA for the final two windows of FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers.

Head coaching record

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Personal life

Silas and his wife have two children.

References

External links

NBA.com – Stephen Silas

– college basketball player statistics at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silas, Stephen 1973 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Massachusetts Brown Bears men's basketball players Charlotte Bobcats assistant coaches Charlotte Hornets assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Dallas Mavericks assistant coaches Golden State Warriors assistant coaches Guards (basketball) Houston Rockets head coaches New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches Sports coaches from Boston 20th-century American sportsmen