{"id":4871,"date":"2026-06-23T18:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T18:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4871"},"modified":"2026-06-23T18:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T18:06:31","slug":"blazers-hire-wolves-assistant-micah-nori-as-head-coach-a-year-after-chauncey-billups-sudden-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4871","title":{"rendered":"Blazers hire Wolves assistant Micah Nori as head coach, a year after Chauncey Billups’ sudden exit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
FILE – Micah Nori, the lead assistant coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, directs play during the first half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, May 26, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo\/Julio Cortez, File)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Portland Trail Blazers picked Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach on Tuesday, after making the playoffs for the first time in five years under the direction of interim coach Tiago Splitter<\/a> .<\/p>

Read more Ronaldo becomes first player to score in six World Cups with goal against Uzbekistan<\/a><\/p>\n

Nori, who spent the past five seasons with the Timberwolves, has interviewed for multiple head coach vacancies including the Chicago Bulls earlier this month, the New York Knicks last year, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024.<\/p>\n

Nori, 52, was the lead assistant under Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch while the club made the playoffs each season, won five series, and reached the Western Conference finals in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

During the Timberwolves; 2024 playoff run, Nori took on a greater role during games while Finch recovered from a knee injury.<\/p>\n

Nori, who began his NBA career in 1998 as a scout with the Toronto Raptors, has also been an assistant for the Raptors, the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets, and the Detroit Pistons. His son, Dante, is a minor league baseball player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter an extensive search process, it became clear that Micah embodies the qualities we are looking for in the leader of this franchise,\u201d Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. \u201cHe has been a key contributor to successful organizations and brings a wealth of expertise, a proven ability to develop players and an authenticity that aligns with the culture we are building. We are excited about the future under his direction and look forward to what we can accomplish together.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Stampede at World Cup match viewing in Jordan\u2019s Amman kills 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Splitter, who was hired last week as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, was promoted from assistant to interim coach when then-head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in October<\/a> in a federal takedown of a sprawling gambling operation. Billups has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.<\/p>\n

The Blazers went 42-40 with a five-game loss to NBA finalist San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, the first postseason appearance<\/a> and first time they finished with a winning record in five years.<\/p>\n

It is the first major hire for the team under the Blazers\u2019 new ownership group led by Tom Dundon. The group bought the NBA franchise from the estate of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who died in 2018. The NBA\u2019s Board of Governors approved the sale<\/a> , worth a reported $4.25 billion, in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my conversations with Tom and Joe, it was evident that there is a strong commitment to building a culture that values accountability, development and team success,\u201d Nori said. \u201cThis is a team with tremendous talent, and I\u2019m excited to begin working with our players and staff.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Portugal sticks with Ronaldo against Uzbekistan after a shaky World Cup opener<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NBA<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Portland Trail Blazers picked Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach after making the playoffs for the first time in five years under the direction of interim coach Tiago Splitter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nBlazers hire Wolves assistant Micah Nori as head coach, a year after Chauncey Billups' sudden exit - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4871\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blazers hire Wolves assistant Micah Nori as head coach, a year after Chauncey Billups' sudden exit - 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