David Fizdale


David S. Fizdale is an American professional basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. He previously served as the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and was an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat.

Career

Born in Los Angeles, Fizdale attended Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where he played as a point guard for the school's basketball team. He subsequently attended college at the University of San Diego, where he graduated with a B.A. in communications and a minor in sociology.
Between 2003 and 2016, Fizdale was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat. During his tenure with the Heat, Fizdale coached "Team Shaq", a squad selected by Shaquille O'Neal, at the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend. His team was defeated 163–135, by Charles Barkley's "Team Chuck", coached by then San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach Mike Budenholzer. After the reshuffle of the Heat's coaching staff, Fizdale became an associate head coach after Ron Rothstein decided to retire from his coaching career and Bob McAdoo was assigned to the scouting staff.
On May 29, 2016, Fizdale was named as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. He led the Grizzlies to a 43–39 record in the 2016–17 season, reaching the Western Conference playoffs. After a 7–12 start to the 2017–18 season, including eight consecutive losses, and a publicized fourth-quarter benching of Marc Gasol, Fizdale was fired from the team on November 27, 2017.
On May 7, 2018, he was named as the head coach of the New York Knicks signing a four-year deal with the organization. On December 6, 2019, Fizdale was fired by the Knicks after a 4–18 start to their season.

Head coaching record

Personal life

He is married to marketer Natasha Sen and has one son from a prior relationship.