Ships need captains, an army squadron needs a lieutenant, and a basketball team needs a coach. Coaching is the least celebrated part of all sports, as players usually get all the media attention. Still, it’s a job that someone has to do. Cue Alvin Gentry is a former college basketball player who chose to take the less glamorous route and be his soldiers’ guide. He currently leads the New Orleans Pelicans as head coach.
Who is Alvin Gentry?
Alvin Gentry was born on November 5, 1954, in Shelby, North Carolina. The basketball coach attended Shelby High School before playing college basketball for Appalachian University.
He spent a year in private business before returning to the sport which would become his life’s work. Alvin became a full-time collegiate assistant coach at Baylor University in 1980. After a year, he returned to the University of Colorado, where he had previously worked for a year as a graduate assistant. This time he returned as an assistant coach, a position he held for five years.
NBA and coaching career
Although Alvin Gentry has managed four different NBAs and is currently the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. His NBA coaching career began in more modest roles as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.
Alvin Gentry was part of a 4-man assistant coach and after two years at San Antonio he moved to Los Angeles and became an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1990-91 season. He then became an assistant coach to Kevin Loughery, coach of the Miami Heat, during the 91 season. His career as an assistant coach did not end there, however, because after his departure from Miami, he moved to Detroit where he was an assistant for two and a half seasons before being named head coach at the end of the 1997–98 season..
Alvin’s first term as head coach didn’t last long. During the 1999–2000 season, he returned to San Antonio as assistant head coach, in a small reunion with former assistants from his first visit to San Antonio. The reunion was brief as the Los Angeles Clippers offered him the head coaching job shortly after he took over at San Antonio.
He had two good first years as head coach, leading the team to 31 wins in his first season and 39 wins in his second season. During these seasons, the team was characterized by the solid play of young players like Elton Brand and Lamar Odom. In his third season, however, the team refused to keep him at the helm, and Gentry took the lead in February 2003.
Perhaps it was seen as a false start or as a sign that he was not yet ready to fully assume the role of head coach. Nonetheless, Alvin Gentry stepped back and became an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns for six years, learning under different coaches. When Terry Porter was fired during his first year as head coach, Alvin was given the job on an interim basis. He was then named full-time coach for the 2009-2010 season. His record as a head coach in his first year was 54 wins and 28 losses, a personal career best. The Suns made the playoffs but lost to the Lakers after Game 6. He however became the fifth coach of the
Alvin Gentry parted ways with the Suns on January 18, 2013. In July, he returned to the LA Clippers and won the Associate Head Coach title. After a year with the Clippers, he signed a three-year contract as associate head coach of the Golden State Warriors.
Although Alvin later signed with the Pelicans on May 30, 2015, the deal allowed him to stay with the Golden State Warriors until the end of the series, earning him his first NBA championship. with the Warriors losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
wife, family
Alvin Gentry met his wife Suzanne during his first stint at the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach. The couple have been married for many years and currently have two children, Ryan and Jack. Alvin, who was married before he met Suzanne, has a daughter from that marriage. He and his family generally tend to keep a low profile away from the media spotlight.
Size weight
As the man responsible for professional athletes, it’s no wonder Alvin Gentry is in top form. The man runs at 6ft 7in, but his weight is not listed at this time. With a size like his, he certainly won’t be intimidated by his players.
Net value
Having recently signed a four-year contract with a fortune of $3.4 million per season and winnings accumulated over decades with several NBA teams, it is difficult to determine the Pelican coach’s exact net worth. . We understand, however, that his career and net worth are on the rise.