Avery Johnson is officially the new Alabama head coach after the school made the hiring official on Monday following previous reports the two sides had agreed to a deal.
Avery Johnson hired as new Alabama head coach
The former NBA Coach of the Year will head the Crimson Tide.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It was reported Johnson was in the running after Alabama fired Anthony Grant, who had just one NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons. After failing to convince Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall to join the program, Alabama opted for Johnson, who spent 16 seasons as an NBA player and seven more as a coach.
Johnson replaced Don Nelson as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks halfway through 2004-05 and led them to the NBA Finals the following year, where they lost in six games to the Miami Heat. He won Coach of the Year honors for his coaching job that season, but was fired after consecutive first round exits in 2007 and 2008.
Johnson was hired as the coach of the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets) in 2010 but produced only a 60-116 record before he was fired midway through his third year.
This year, Alabama made the NIT as a No. 6 seed and lost in the second round.
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