James Albert Borrego (born November 12, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the associate head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1][2][3][4] 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.
| New Orleans Pelicans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 12, 1977 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Albuquerque Academy (Albuquerque, New Mexico) |
| College | San Diego (1998–2001) |
| Position | Forward |
| Coaching career | 2001–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 2001–2003 | San Diego (assistant) |
| 2003–2010 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) |
| 2010–2012 | New Orleans Hornets (assistant) |
| 2012–2015 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 2015 | Orlando Magic (interim) |
| 2015–2018 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) |
| 2018–2022 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 2023–present | New Orleans Pelicans (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As assistant coach: | |
Early life and playing career
editBorrego was born on November 12, 1977, in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is of Mexican American descent.[5] 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.[6]
Coaching career
editBorrego 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.[6]
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.[6]
Afterwards, he joined Jacque Vaughn as the lead assistant for the Orlando Magic.[6] He took over the Magic when Vaughn was fired on February 5, 2015.[7] On February 6, he made his coaching debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 103–97 in overtime.[8] On February 17, he became the coach of the team for the rest of the season.[9]
On June 17, 2015, he returned to the Spurs as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich.[10]
On May 10, 2018, the Charlotte Hornets named Borrego as their new head coach,[11] signing him to a four-year deal with the team.[12] Borrego became the first Latino head coach in the NBA's 72-year history.[13]
On August 9, 2021, the Hornets signed Borrego to a multi-year contract extension.[14]
On April 22, 2022, Borrego was fired by the Hornets.[15]
On June 3, 2023, he returned to the Pelicans as an assistant coach for Willie Green.[16]
Personal life
editBorn 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.[6]
Head coaching record
edit| 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
edit- ^ "Sources: Borrego to become Pels' associate HC". ESPN.com. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ "NBA Coaches - James Borrego". ESPN. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "Baloncesto: Inicia NBA inédito campo de entrenamiento en Cuba_spanish.xinhuanet.com". spanish.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ CINID. "Comenzó campamento de NBA y FIBA en La Habana". www.jit.cu (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "James Borrego breaks barrier as NBA's first Hispanic full-time head coach Former Spurs assistant will lead Charlotte Hornets". May 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "James Borrego". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Magic Relieve Jacque Vaughn of Head Coaching Duties; Name James Borrego as Interim Head Coach". NBA.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Borrego exhausted, but pleased after winning Magic debut". FOX Sports. February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Borrego to Coach Magic for Remainder of Season; Kokoskov Hired as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Spurs Name James Borrego Assistant Coach". NBA.com. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Hornets Name James Borrego Head Coach". NBA.com. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Hornets hire James Borrego as head coach; 4-year deal, sources say". ESPN.com. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "A Sense of Pride: The NBA's First Latino Coach Draws Strength From His Heritage". SI.com. September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets Sign Head Coach James Borrego To Multi-year Contract Extension". NBA.com. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Hornets Relieve James Borrego of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ "James Borrego To Be Pelicans' Associate Head Coach". hoopsrumors.com. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.