Coach Profile: Joe Prunty
How Joe Prunty went from being a beer salesman to becoming a 3x NBA Champion and having an ongoing 32 year coaching career.
Joe Prunty was recently reported to be an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, a 3x NBA champion, and is known for his offensive strategies.
In this article, you’ll learn about Coach Prunty who went from being a beer salesman to a 3x NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs and his 32-year coaching career.
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San Antonio Spurs (1996-2005)
Joe Prunty originally was a beer salesman selling Anheuser-Busch products in San Diego until he started coaching at the University of San Diego High School. He notably coached Luke Walton and former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior during his early coaching days.
He began his NBA coaching career started in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich in 1996. In 1997, he left the team to become an assistant coach for the University of San Diego but returned to the Spurs in 1998. Prunty was promoted to assistant coach in 2000.
The Spurs won a championship in 1999, 2003, and 2005. Prunty notably coached David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Sean Elliot, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter, Jaren Jackson Sr, Mark Bryant, Manu Ginóbili, Stephen Jackson, Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, and Brent Barry.
He also worked with Coaches Gregg Popovich, Mike Budenholzer, Hank Egan, Paul Pressey, Mike Brown, P. J. Carlesimo, Brett Brown, and Don Newman.
Dallas Mavericks (2005-2008)
Prunty joined Avery Johnson’s coaching staff in 2005, Johnson had played for Prunty in San Antonio.
Avery Johnson had won Coach of the year in 2006, and in that same season, the Mavericks reached the NBA finals for the first time in team history, losing in 6 against the Miami Heat.
In 2007, the team had their best record of 67-15, however they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors in 6 games.
In 2008, the Mavericks reunited with Jason Kidd (who Prunty would later coach under) in the middle of the season via trade involving Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets. Losing in the playoffs first round again, this time to the New Orleans Hornets in 5 games. The Mavericks also finished with the 8th best offense in the NBA.
A day after their finals loss, Coach Johnson was dismissed. Prunty moved on to the Blazers after the season. As an assistant for 3 seasons, he notably coached Dirk Nowitzki, Tyronn Lue, Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, Darrell Armstrong, Adrian Griffin, and Juwan Howard.
Portland Trail Blazers (2008-2010)
Prunty then joined Nate McMillian’s coaching staff in Portland. The 2008 and 2009 seasons brought back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since the Blazers’s 1999–2000 and 2000–01 NBA seasons. He also served as the Blazers' summer league head coach in 2008 and 2009.
He notably coached Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and reunited with Juwan Howard.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2013)
After his tenure with Portland, he joined Byron Scott’s coaching staff in 2010. The Cavaliers failed to make the playoffs in all 3 years of Scott’s head coaching tenure, leading to Coach Scott’s firing in 2013. Prunty notably coached Anderson Varejão, Tristian Thompson, Antawn Jamison, and Kyrie Irving. He also reunited with Luke Walton from his coaching stint at San Diego.
Great Britain (2013-2017)
Prunty was hired as the head coach of Great Britain men's national basketball team in June 2013 after Chris Finch resigned. The hiring of Prunty was controversial due to the fact he lacked international coaching experience. After finishing 2-3, the team was unable to advance further in Eurobasket 2013. The team had their funding cut after the season.
Prunty remained with the team despite the struggles, however because of these funding cuts, the team was unable to afford high level players, cancellation of training camps, and players had to sleep dorm beds and live on £15 a day.
In 2016, the team received funding from “Sport England” and qualified into the Eurobasket 2017 with a record of 3-3, however went 0-5 against Belgium, Latvia, Russia, Serbia, and Turkey.
Prunty was forced to step down as the head coach in 2017, he finished his tenure with an overall team record of 12–42 a 5–15 record in FIBA games. Even though the team didn’t find much success on the court, Coach Prunty is credited with keeping the spirits high and building trust with the players despite the rough years and budget cuts. One player commented that he wouldn’t have played for Great Britain if it wasn’t for Prunty.
Brooklyn Nets (2013-2014)
Prunty was hired on Jason Kidd’s coaching staff in Brooklyn, who he coached in Dallas. Prunty temporarily served as the acting head coach for 2 games while Coach Kidd was serving a suspension due to an off-court legal issue.
The Nets finished the season with a 44–38 record and lost in the conference semifinals against the Miami Heat 4-1.
Prunty coached notably Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston, and Brook Lopez.
Milwaukee Bucks (2014-2018)
Prunty would follow Jason Kidd to his new coaching staff in Milwaukee, his first stint with the team. Prunty would serve as interim head coach again for Coach Kidd due to him recovering from hip surgery, the team’s offense played at a faster pace and focused on offensive rebounding which increased their offensive rating. He finished with an interim record of 8-9.
The Bucks started the 2017-2018 season with a 23–22 and 8th place in the eastern conference, which resulted in Coach Kidd being fired, promoting Prunty to the interim position once again. The Bucks finished the season 44-38, clinching the 7th seed. Making the playoffs, they were eliminated in the first round to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.
Mike Budenholzer was later hired as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, replacing him. Prunty finished his first stint with the Bucks with a head coaching record of 21-16 and notably coached future MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Eric Bledsoe.
Phoenix Suns (2018-2019)
Prunty was hired as an assistant coach under Igor Kokoskov in Phoenix. The Suns finished 19–63, the worst record in franchise history since the 1968-69 season. Coach Kokoskov was fired after 1 season.
Prunty notably coached Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Jamal Crawford, Jimmer Fredette, and Mikal Bridges during his tenure.
Atlanta Hawks (2021-2023)
Prunty reunited with Coach McMillian in Atlanta in 2021. He would later become the lead assistant after Chris Jent left for Darvin Ham’s Lakers staff in 2022. Prunty was drew up the game winning play against the Chicago Bulls in December which was a layup by AJ Griffin in overtime, they won 123-122.
He would later become the interim head coach for the 3rd time in his coaching career after Coach McMillian was fired on February 21, 2024. He would remain as the interim until Quin Snyder was hired February 26. He finished his interim record 2-0.
The team made it to the playoffs, however lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round in 6 games. Snyder brought in his own coaching staff which led to Prunty rejoining the Milwaukee Bucks. He notably coached Trae Young, Dejounte Murray Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanović, Lou Williams, De'Andre Hunter, and Jalen Johnson during his tenure in Atlanta.
Return to the Milwaukee Bucks (2023-2025)
Prunty returned to the Milwaukee Bucks reuniting with Adrian Griffin, who he coached in Dallas and reunited with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Prunty was moved to lead assistant before the 2023 season started after Terry Stotts stepped down in the pre-season.
He later became the interim coach for the 4th time in his career after Coach Griffin was fired by the Bucks midway through his first season. He would remain as the interim for 3 games, until Doc Rivers was hired, finishing with a record of 2-1. The team later made it to the playoffs, however they were eliminated in the first round by the Indiana Pacers in 6 games.
Prunty spent 2 seasons in with the Bucks until it was reported that he would be joining the Orlando Magic coaching staff.
Joe Prunty has had an extensive coaching career in the NBA so far, with 4 teams he became the interim head coach, he’s been proven to produce results for wherever he goes.