James Borrego
New Orleans Pelicans
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1977-11-12) November 12, 1977 (age 46)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolAlbuquerque Academy
(Albuquerque, New Mexico)
CollegeSan Diego (1998–2001)
PositionForward
Coaching career2001–present
Career history
As coach:
2001–2003San Diego (assistant)
2003–2010San Antonio Spurs (assistant)
2010–2012New Orleans Hornets (assistant)
2012–2015Orlando Magic (assistant)
2015Orlando Magic (interim)
2015–2018San Antonio Spurs (assistant)
2018–2022Charlotte Hornets
2023-presentNew Orleans Pelicans (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As assistant coach:

James Borrego (born November 12, 1977)[1] is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the associate head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] He has previously served as head coach for the Charlotte Hornets, and as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs where he won two NBA championships under Gregg Popovich.

Early life and playing career

Borrego was born on November 12, 1977, in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is of Mexican American descent.[3] He played three seasons with the San Diego Toreros, and during his senior season (2000–01) was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team.[4]

Coaching career

Borrego began his coaching career with his alma mater, University of San Diego, as an assistant from 2001 to 2003. During his tenure, San Diego captured the West Coast Conference Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in the 2002–2003 season.[4]

After his coaching stay with the Toreros, Borrego began in 2003 his career in professional basketball with the San Antonio Spurs, starting as an assistant video coordinator in the summer of 2003 and being promoted to assistant coach afterwards. He spent seven seasons with the Spurs, being part of two NBA championship teams in 2005 and 2007 before leaving the team to join former Spurs' assistant Monty Williams when he took the head coach job with the New Orleans Hornets from 2010 until 2012.[4]

Afterwards, he joined Jacque Vaughn as the lead assistant for the Orlando Magic.[4] He took over the Magic when Vaughn was fired on February 5, 2015.[5] On February 6, he made his coaching debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 103–97 in overtime.[6] On February 17, he became the coach of the team for the rest of the season.[7]

On June 17, 2015, he returned to the Spurs as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich.[8]

On May 10, 2018, the Charlotte Hornets named Borrego as their new head coach,[9] signing him to a four-year deal with the team.[10] Borrego became the first Latino head coach in the NBA's 72-year history.[11]

On August 9, 2021, the Hornets signed Borrego to a multi-year contract extension.[12]

On April 22, 2022, Borrego was fired by the Hornets.[13]

On June 3, 2023, he was returned to the Pelicans as an assistant coach for Willie Green.[14]

Personal life

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Borrego led Albuquerque Academy to a pair of state championships. In 2001, he earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in leadership studies from the University of San Diego.

He and his wife have a daughter and two sons.[4]

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Orlando 2014–15 30 10 20 .333 5th in Southeast — — — — Missed playoffs
Charlotte 2018–19 82 39 43 .476 2nd in Southeast — — — — Missed playoffs
Charlotte 2019–20 65 23 42 .354 4th in Southeast — — — — Missed playoffs
Charlotte 2020–21 72 33 39 .458 4th in Southeast — — — — Missed playoffs
Charlotte 2021–22 82 43 39 .524 3rd in Southeast — — — — Missed playoffs
Career 331 148 183 .447 — — — —

References

  1. ^ "NBA Coaches - James Borrego". ESPN. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  2. ^ https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37790282/sources-pelicans-hiring-james-borrego-associate-head-coach?platform=amp
  3. ^ "James Borrego breaks barrier as NBA's first Hispanic full-time head coach Former Spurs assistant will lead Charlotte Hornets". May 11, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e "James Borrego". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Magic Relieve Jacque Vaughn of Head Coaching Duties; Name James Borrego as Interim Head Coach". NBA.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  6. ^ "Borrego exhausted, but pleased after winning Magic debut". FOX Sports. February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "Borrego to Coach Magic for Remainder of Season; Kokoskov Hired as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Spurs Name James Borrego Assistant Coach". NBA.com. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  9. ^ "Hornets Name James Borrego Head Coach". NBA.com. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  10. ^ "Hornets hire James Borrego as head coach; 4-year deal, sources say". ESPN.com. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "A Sense of Pride: The NBA's First Latino Coach Draws Strength From His Heritage". SI.com. September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "Charlotte Hornets Sign Head Coach James Borrego To Multi-year Contract Extension". NBA.com. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "Hornets Relieve James Borrego of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "James Borrego To Be Pelicans' Associate Head Coach". hoopsrumors.com. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.

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