Any hopes of reuniting Steven Nash with Alvin Gentry, one of the three head coaches he played under as a member of the Phoenix Suns, were dashed on Wednesday when the ex-New Orleans Pelicans head coach was officially added to the Sacramento Kings’ coaching staff. Gentry will take on the role of associate head coach under Luke Walton.
But, there’s still a chance Nash brings on someone who was featured on Phoenix’s coaching staff during the Hall of Fame point guard’s prime — albeit a small change.
The latest name to be linked to Nash’s search — joining Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach — is Igor Kokoskov. But while Alex Schiffer of The Athletic indicates the Nets have interest in the former Suns assistant, he’s also reporting Kokoskov “prefers to stay in Turkey with his current team.”
Kokoskov became the head coach of Fenerbahce — which is a member of Euroleague and the Turkish Basketball Super League — over the summer.