Former NBA player Lindsey Hunter to coach Michigan high school basketball team

After coaching in the NBA and the NCAA, Lindsey Hunter will now take over the Sparta High School varsity boys basketball program. Sean Murphy, a credentialed NBA media member who covered the Detroit Pistons, confirmed the news.

Murphy posted, “I grew up in Cedar Springs, and Sparta was our top rival. Lindsey Hunter will now be leading my hometown rival’s basketball team. WOW.” The point guard from Mississippi who played in 18 NBA seasons will take over a team that went 14-12 last season.

While the Spartans won four of their last five games, they lost to Catholic Central in the Michigan Division 2 regional finals. Sparta won the 1954 Class B state championship under Herb Weston and finished second in the 1979 Class 1A state tournament.

I cannot believe I’m writing this

Lindsey Hunter is the new head varsity boys basketball coach at Sparta High School in Sparta, Michigan.

I grew up in Cedar Springs, and Sparta was our top rival. Lindsey Hunter will now be leading my hometown rival’s basketball team. WOW. pic.twitter.com/3wBkwL9ipj

— Sean Murphy (@seanhalfcourt) July 2, 2025

Lindsey Hunter became an interim head coach for the Phoenix Suns after Alvin Gentry’s firing. However, it didn’t take long before Jeff Hornacek replaced him, as Hunter coached to a 12-29 record. The former Alcorn State and Jackson State standout joined the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach. It was his last NBA coaching stint before joining the NCAA’s Buffalo Bulls as an assistant.

In 2019, Hunter took over the Mississippi Valley State coaching role, a position he held for three seasons. Mississippi Valley State won only seven out of 82 games during his tenure. Three years after leaving the Delta Devils, the 1994 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member returned to coaching for Sparta.

The Detroit Pistons selected Lindsey Hunter with the tenth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. He would have another stint with Detroit from 2003 to 2008 and won his second NBA championship in 2004. Coincidentally, the Pistons won the title against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team where he won his first NBA crown in 2002.

Hunter also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and the Chicago Bulls. He finished his NBA career with averages of 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Before starting his coaching career, the Bulls also hired him as a player development assistant.