After only one season on the job with the Phoenix Suns, team management has decided to let head coach Igor Kokoskov go.
Hired at the last off-season as the first European-born head coach in the history of the NBA, expectations were low considering the Suns’ current rebuild. Nonetheless, Phoenix brass still decided that Kokoskov wasn’t the man for the job after evaluating his work with the team this season.
Kokoskov was hired by the Suns after spending 18 seasons working as an assistant coach in the league. After impressive work as a Jazz assistant, Phoenix decided to take a chance on the Serbian-born coach.
In fact, Kokoskov also holds the distinction of having been the first full-time assistant coach born in Europe to be an NCAA assistant coach when he was hired by the Missouri Tigers in 1999, as well as also being the first NBA assistant coach from outside of the USA.
Phoenix fell short of the admittedly low expectations set for them this season, finishing with a 19-63 record. This was the worst mark in the Western Conference and the second-worst in the NBA.
For these reasons, plus the Suns’ desire to pursue 76ers assistant Monty Williams this season, Suns GM James Jones simply decided to cut short the marriage between the two parties.
