Former Knicks Head Coach David Fizdale Land Head Coaching Job In Nigeria
Former NBA coach David Fizdale has reportedly landed a new gig ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Fizdale, who served as the head coach of the Grizzlies (2016-17) and Knicks (2018-19) and was a trusted Miami Heat assistant under Erik Spoelstra for close to a decade, has been hired to lead the Nigerian men's basketball team (per Marc J. Spears).
The 51-year-old currently serves as an analyst for NBA TV after last coaching on the Phoenix Suns staff in 2024-25. And now he hopes to add another achievement to his coaching resume with this latest surprise opportunity.
Former Knicks coach David Fizdale 'excited' to return to sideline, eyes 2028 Olympic bid
In a phone interview with Spears and ESPN.com, Fizdale talked about how much he's looking forward to being a head coach again.
"It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach," Fizdale said. "It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A. What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal, but to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing."
"I'm super excited. I have Mike Brown to thank who coached the team before and the year they beat the U.S. in the qualifiers and played in Japan. Mike brought it up to me. After some good talks and going back-and-forth, we agreed that I was going to try to take the team to qualify," he explained.
"The reality of it is if I do get this team qualified for the Olympics, it will be in my hometown," Fizdale concluded. "It would be full circle for me. You're talking about a basketball checklist. That would definitely be on my bucket list for me to not only coach in the Olympics, but to coach in the Olympics in front of my family in the place I grew up. ... That was an easy decision."
Nigeria's men's basketball team has made three Olympic appearances: 2012, 2016 and 2020, but has never medaled. Fizdale is hoping to change that.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 9:12 PM.