Ezra Shaw/Getty Photos
The Utah Jazz have exercised the choice on head coach Will Hardy’s contract, the staff announced on Friday.
Hardy is heading into his third season with the staff. The phrases of the choice weren’t disclosed.
The 36-year-old is the second-youngest head coach within the NBA behind the Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla. He has led the Jazz to a 68-96 total report since becoming a member of the rebuilding franchise forward of the 2022-23 season.
“Will has executed an ideal job of guiding our program and instilling the fitting values and aggressive habits with our younger group,” Jazz basic supervisor Justin Zanik stated in an announcement. “The group appears to be like ahead to creating with Will as we try for long-term success via strategic and deliberate development.”
Hardy beforehand labored within the San Antonio Spurs group between 2010 and 2017, together with a task as an assistant video coordinator through the Spurs’ run to the 2014 title and 6 seasons as an assistant coach underneath Gregg Popovich.
He then served as an assistant coach for the Celtics behind Ime Udoka for one season, which was capped off by Boston’s run to the 2022 Finals, earlier than turning into the primary head teaching rent of Ryan and Ashley Smith’s tenure because the Jazz staff homeowners.
The Jazz’s determination to train the choice will maintain Hardy in Salt Lake Metropolis via the 2025-26 season, by which level Utah could possibly be hoping to be engaged on constructing a postseason contender.
Utah has locked in Lauri Markkanen for the long-term with the August contract renegotiation and extension that can maintain the previous All-Star ahead with the Jazz via the 2028-29 marketing campaign.
The Jazz’s determination to increase Hardy’s contract means they imagine he’s the fitting coach to assist the franchise rejoin the postseason image for the primary time since 2022.
