Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Los Angeles, California | June 1, 1965
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Saint Bernard (Playa del Rey, California) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 1988: 3rd round, 65th overall pick |
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
Playing career | 1988–2004 |
Position | Shooting guard |
Number | 12, 8, 1, 7, 5 |
Coaching career | 2003–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1988–1989 | Quad City Thunder |
1989 | New Jersey Nets |
1989 | Calgary 88's |
1989–1990 | Omaha Racers |
1990 | Philadelphia 76ers |
1990 | Omaha Racers |
1990 | Denver Nuggets |
1990–1991 | Yakima Sun Kings |
1991–1992 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
1992 | Montreal Dragons |
1992–1993 | Yakima Sun Kings |
1993 | La Crosse Catbirds |
1993–1994 | New York Knicks |
1994–1995 | Scavolini Pesaro |
1995 | Philadelphia 76ers |
1995–1996 | Galatasaray |
1996 | Mash J. Verona |
1996–1997 | Hapoel Eilat |
1997–1998 | Japan Energy Griffins |
1999–2000 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
2000–2003 | Maccabi Haifa |
2003–2004 | Long Beach Jam |
As coach: | |
2003–2004 | Long Beach Jam (assistant) |
2005 | Long Beach Jam |
2006–2007 | Phoenix Mercury (assistant) |
2007–2013 | Phoenix Mercury |
2013 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
2015–2016 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
2016–2018 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
2019–2021 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 248 (3.1 ppg) |
Rebounds | 69 (0.9 rpg) |
Assists | 247 (3.1 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Corey Yasuto Gaines (born June 1, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played five seasons in the NBA, and was a four-time Israeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1999 and in 2001 to 2003. He was also a former head coach of the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Gaines was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1988 NBA draft. [1] A 6' 3" (1.90 m) guard from UCLA and Loyola Marymount University, Gaines played in 5 NBA seasons for 4 different teams. He played for the New Jersey Nets (1988–89), Philadelphia 76ers (1989–90, 1994–95), Denver Nuggets (1990–91) and New York Knicks (1993–94). In his NBA career, he played in 80 games and scored a total of 248 points. Throughout his NBA career, he also spent time playing in Continental Basketball Association for multiple teams.
Gaines also played in multiple international basketball leagues (including the Japanese professional men's basketball league) throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a four-time Israeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1999 and in 2001 to 2003. The last team he played for was the Long Beach Jam under the revived American Basketball Association. The Jam won the ABA Championship in their first season of existence, thanks in part to having players like Dennis Rodman on their squad.
After winning the ABA Championship, Gaines would retire from playing basketball and start out as an assistant coach for the Long Beach Jam in their second year of existence. During the season, he would take over the head coach role there after their previous coach would accept a coaching role in the NBA. After the Jam's second season ended, it was announced that the Long Beach Jam would not play the next season due to their eventual move to Bakersfield in order to complete their transition to the NBA Development League. As a result, he would soon be an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. On November 7, 2007, Gaines became the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, replacing outgoing head coach Paul Westhead. [2] Gaines had prior experience with Westhead's offense, having played for him at Loyola Marymount University and with the Nuggets. Gaines kept the same offense that Westhead employed, and in 2009, he directed the Mercury to their second WNBA title. Under Gaines' guidance, Diana Taurasi became the second player in WNBA history to win the regular season scoring title, the WNBA MVP Award, the WNBA Championship, and the WNBA Finals MVP Award in the same season. [3]
In November 2011, Gaines was promoted to general manager of the Mercury, taking over a position vacated by Ann Meyers-Drysdale. On August 8, 2013, the Phoenix Mercury announced that they had relieved Gaines of his duties as head coach and general manager, and named former University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University men's basketball head coach Russ Pennell as the team's interim head coach. [4]
Gaines would have his first coaching experience in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns as a player development coach, starting back in the 2010–11 season. In January 2013, Gaines was temporarily promoted to being an assistant head coach for the Phoenix Suns alongside Dan Panaggio after both Dan Majerle and Elston Turner would resign from their roles after the announcement of Lindsey Hunter being the team's interim head coach. He would then continue working under the organization throughout the rest of the 2012-13 NBA season until the Suns hired permanent replacement assistant head coaches to replace their old coaching staff, although Gaines would still work for the organization as a player development coach alongside Irving Roland during the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. However, on July 30, 2015, Gaines would end up being promoted back as a full-time assistant coach for the Suns for the 2015-16 NBA season due to some changes with the coaching and player development staffs respectively. [5] [6] Gaines would also be considered a prime candidate for the interim coach tag for the Suns after head coach Jeff Hornacek was fired on February 1, 2016. However, after a generally awful season that was even worse than their 2012–13 season, Gaines would not have his contract renewed with the team. [7]
Before the start of the 2016–17 season, Gaines would reunite with head coach Jeff Hornacek and assistant coach Jerry Sichting as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. Prior to the start of the 2018–19 season, the Detroit Pistons hired Gaines as a Coaching Consultant. [8] Before the start of the 2019–20 season, Gaines was hired as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. [9]
Gaines' father is African-American and his mother is of Japanese descent. [10] [11] [12]
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). One of eight original franchises, it was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships, a historic five Olympic gold medals, one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards, five scoring titles, and three FIBA World Cups. She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams. In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer and on June 27, 2021, became the first player to surpass 9,000 points. On August 3, 2023, Taurasi became the first player to score 10,000 career points. Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.
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