Juwan Howard is returning to the NBA after five seasons coaching his alma mater at Michigan.
A month after being fired by the Wolverines, Howard is joining the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach under recently hired Jordi Fernández, Yahoo Sports NBA senior reporter Jake Fischer has confirmed. Fernández also hired veteran assistant Steve Hetzel from the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this week.
Howard worked as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat for six seasons before accepting the job at Michigan. His early success with the Wolverines sparked interest in a head coaching role from NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard turned them down, choosing to stay in Ann Arbor to coach his sons, Jace and Jett.
Michigan’s Howard era had its moments, but ultimately degenerated into a mess. His tenure culminated in 2021 when he led the team to a 23-5 record, a No. 1 seed and the Elite Eight, with Hunter Dickinson, Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner receiving All-Star honors. Big Ten. This earned Howard a five-year extension.
The cracks started to show the following season, especially when Howard made headlines for all the wrong reasons. A game against Wisconsin ended in a heated argument, during which Howard punched Badgers assistant Joe Krabbenhoft in the face, leading to a five-game suspension and a $40,000 fine.
An alleged confrontation followed in 2023 between Howard and Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, who ended up leaving the program with a settlement. The Wolverines continued to regress on the field while all of this was happening, with the team hitting rock bottom last season with an 8-24 record.
Michigan fired Howard and replaced him with Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May.
So Howard will join the Nets with a more colorful history than most assistant coaches. He still brings plenty of experience to Brooklyn, both from his decade as a coach and his 19 seasons as an NBA player.
