Report: Former Notre Dame star Monty Williams wins 2022 NBA Coach of the Year

Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, who starred at Notre Dame in the early 1990s, is adding to his trophy case.

The NBA is preparing to name Williams the 2021-22 Coach of the Year, according to The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania. Williams is in his third year with the Suns and helped lead them to the NBA Finals last year, where they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks.

He played at Notre Dame from 1989-94 and became an honorable mention All-American as a senior, averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game that year. The New York Knicks drafted him as the No. 24 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and he played in the league for nine years with the Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.

In the NBA, Williams averaged 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, but injury troubles forced him to retire in 2003 when he played in just 21 games. That’s when he headed to the other side of the game as a coach, and that decisions certainly served him well.

He got his first opportunity on the bench with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2010. He then got his first head coaching opportunity with the New Orleans Pelicans from 2010 to 2015 before spending a year as the associate head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder under former Florida coach Billy Donovan from 2015 to 2016.

Williams then became an assistant with the 76ers during the 2018-19 season. After that, the Suns came calling, and he’s helped them to a 149-78 record and back-to-back playoff appearances. Phoenix is currently in the midst of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks. The series is currently tied 2-2 with Game 5 coming Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET.