Del Harris Nominated for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
January 2, 2019 - NBA G League (G League)
Texas Legends News Release
FRISCO, TX - The Texas Legends are proud to announce that the team's Vice President and former Head Coach/General Manager, Del Harris, has been nominated for the Class of 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Coach Harris is currently in his 44th season in professional basketball, but has coached at every level of the game. Harris began his career in public schools and went on to coach at Earlham College, where he developed their only nationally ranked teams and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year. He used that experience to gain his first professional opportunity in the Puerto Rico Superior League. He is a member of six Halls of Fame, has won NBA Coach of the Year, and has 542 NBA victories in his 12 full seasons as an NBA head coach (and was only the 19th coach to win 500 NBA games).
Coach Harris has been nominated in the contributor category for his role as a pioneer in the global reach of basketball. He has coached with five different national teams (won two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals), has coached in two World Championships (Canada 1994, USA 1998), and coached the National Team of China in the 2004 Olympics to the medal round by defeating the then World Champion Serbia team in the final preliminary game.
In addition, he has contributed as a clinic or camp speaker on five continents and 30 states over a six-decade span and is the author of six books and many magazine articles on basketball that have been translated into five different languages. He was awarded the International Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) at the Final Four in Phoenix in 2017.
Harris has served the Legends in the role of Vice President, General Manager, or Head Coach since the team's beginning. He serves a fundamental leadership role within the organization and the North Dallas community, serving alongside his wife Ann in countless charitable outreach initiatives.
"We are incredibly proud of Del and all that he has accomplished," said Legends President/General Manager Malcolm Farmer. "It's a joy for our players and staff to get to work alongside and be taught by a man of his caliber and with his resume."
The entire Class of 2019 will be announced during the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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