5 youngest NBA coaches ft. Utah’s Will Hardy who is younger than LeBron James
LeBron James continues to make history in Year 21 in the NBA. On Tuesday, he led the LA Lakers to a 131-99 home win over the Utah Jazz, going for 17 points in just 24 minutes on the floor. He also reched another milestone in his illustrious career, as he became the first player in NBA history to score 39,000 career points.
LeBron is the all-time scoring leader and if he continues to score at the same pace (26.4 ppg), he will be able to surpass the 40,000 point mark before the end of the 2023-24 season.
On Tuesday, LeBron faced the Jazz, who are coached by Will Hardy, who is one of the youngest coaches in the NBA (35 years old). With that in mind, we take a look at the five youngest coaches in the league.
5 youngest NBA coaches ft. Utah’s Will Hardy who is younger than LeBron James
#5 - Willie Green (New Orleans Pelicans)
Willie Green has been the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans since 2021. At the age of 42, he was an assistant coach for five years with the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns before taking over the Pelicans.
New Orleans is currently ninth in the West standings with seven wins and seven losses.
#4 - Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies)
Taylor Jenkins has been in the NBA since 2013. He spent six years as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks before becoming the head coach of the Grizzlies in 2019.
The 39-year-old coach has made Memphis a powerhouse and is seeking his first championship. The Grizzlies are currently struggling with just three wins in their first 13 games.
#3 - Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Mark Daigneault has spent his coaching career between the Oklahoma City Thunder and their G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Now at 38, he is in his fourth year as head coach of the Thunder and seeks to make Oklahoma City a legit playoff contender in the West. The Thunder are third with a 10-4 record and have won their last five games.
#2 - Will Hardy (Utah Jazz)
Will Hardy is among the youngest head coaches in the NBA. At the age of 35, he is in his second year with the Jazz, after taking over the squad in the summer of 2022.
Before that, he was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. The Jazz continue to struggle this season with four wins in the first 14 games.
#1 - Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics)
Joe Mazzulla has been an assistant with the Boston Celics since starting his career in the NBA. Mazzulla replaced Ime Udoka last summer and led the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season as head coach.
Mazzulla, 35, has led Boston to a great start this season with 11 wins in its first 14 games and the top spot in the league so far.