Monty Williams agreed to a six-year deal worth $78.5 million to become the next head coach of the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal made him the highest-paid coach in the NBA, but it also set a new precedent for Black coaches.
Williams was fired by the Phoenix Suns in early May after four seasons as their head coach. He led them to the 2021 NBA Finals, was named 2022 NBA Coach of the Year, and had a 194-115 overall record as head coach of the Suns. The move came as a surprise because Black coaches can have a tough time getting another head coaching opportunity after they’ve been fired.
Monty Williams on the sidelines of a Phoenix Suns game. (Photo: Getty Images)
It took Williams four years to land the Suns’ head coaching job after he was fired as head coach of the Pelicans in 2015. He coached them from 2010-15, going 173-221. Williams also spent some time away from basketball when his first wife died in a car accident in 2016.
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Mark Jackson coached the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2014 and has yet to receive another head coaching opportunity after laying the foundation for their dynasty. Jackson helped guide the Warriors back to the playoffs in the 2012-13 NBA season after the organization hadn’t seen a playoff berth since the 2006-07 season. He went 121-109 with Golden State and is credited for having the foresight to insert Klay Thompson and Draymond Green into the starting lineup early in their careers.
Dwayne Casey was fired by the Raptors in 2018 after leading them to a 59-23 overall record and won the Coach of the Year award. He did quickly bounce back to land the Pistons’ head coaching job. Casey was one of only two coaches to lead the Pistons to the playoffs since their last appearance in 2008.
Williams is more than deserving of the new multimillion-dollar deal because of his impressive accomplishments, but the opportunities for Black coaches in sports overall are limited.
The Pistons and Williams may have reset the market in a good way for Black coaches in all of the sports, not just basketball, with this deal, especially if he is successful.
New Era
Basketball and football are two of the most watched sports in America with both sports having the highest percentage of Black players than any other sport. In 2022, Black players made up 82.4 percent of the NBA, according to ESPN. Black players reportedly made up 56.4 percent of the NFL in 2022.
The Associated Press reported in March that the NFL has five Black team presidents, eight Black men who are general managers, and three Black head coaches.
The quarterback position in the NFL also set a record high this past season with Black starting quarterbacks. There were 11 Black quarterbacks to begin the 2022 season as the starter and 20 Black quarterbacks started at least one game, according to USA Today.
Basketball has always been ahead of the NFL in off-field diversity, but football is slowly starting to catch up. At the start of the season this year, the NBA had 15 Black head coaches of the 30 teams compared to 14 white head coaches, according to ESPN.
More work still needs to be done on all levels, especially after the world got a chance to view the racist rant a Georgia athletics trainer displayed. The coach took a trip to Atlanta and uploaded a series of videos ridiculing Black people. This same trainer also built his career off of training and coaching Black athletes.
The NFL started a program in 2022 called the NFL Accelerator Program to provide women and minority prospects an opportunity to develop their leadership skills. The program also gives people a chance to network with NFL owners and decision-makers. According to NFL Communications, the overall design is to continue building a diverse pipeline for minorities that aspire to be head coaches and general managers.
Pay Gap
There are only two Black head coaches in the top 10 earners of professional football and basketball head coaches.
According to NBC Sports, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the only Black head coach in the top five for the highest paid salaries for the NFL. Now, Williams’ new deal with the Pistons put him as the only Black head coach in the top five of highest-paid coaching salaries currently in the NBA.
On the college level, Stanford’s David Shaw and Michigan State’s Mel Tucker are the only Black head college football coaches to crack the top 10 in highest-paid salaries, according to NBC Sports. No Black head coach is in the top 10 for highest-paid salaries for college basketball.
Black fans are starting to see more representation in coaching and front-office representation in the sports they love to follow, but they are still asking for more all around. Opportunities for Williams and other Black head coaches could pave the way for more Black people to follow.
