Jerry Stackhouse interviews with New York Knicks, two others

Former Tar Heel, NBA All-Star interviewing for three coaching vacancies

Former University of North Carolina standout Jerry Stackhouse has become a hot name among candidates for coaching vacancies in the NBA.

The 18-year NBA veteran and two-time All-Star has been head coach of the Toronto Raptors’ G-League affiliate, Raptors 905, for the past two seasons. Prior to his current position, Stackhouse served as assistant coach of the Raptors for one season prior to becoming head coach of the team’s G-League affiliate in 2016.

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After retiring from professional basketball in 2013, Stackhouse began a career in broadcasting. He worked as a color commentator and college basketball analyst for Fox Sports and ACC Network before returning to the hardwood in Toronto.

Stackhouse won G-League Coach of the Year honors, and led Raptors 905 to the 2017 G-League championship title in his first season as head coach. They returned to the title game in 2018 but fell to the Austin Spurs in a best-of-three series.

Thanks to his success on the bench over the last few seasons, Stackhouse has joined the short list of potential head coaches for a number of NBA teams including Charlotte, New York and Orlando.

The former first team All-American and Sports Illustrated Player of the Year has already met with Knicks executives, as the team is in the midst of a coaching search that reportedly also involves David Blatt, David Fizdale, Mark Jackson and Mike Woodson. It’s unclear what direction, if any, that the Knicks plan to go in at this time. But all indications point to Stackhouse having a good shot at grabbing the head coaching gig in New York.

Stackhouse is also expected to hold interviews with the Hornets and Magic in the coming days, as both organizations are coming off of disappointing seasons and looking to make a change at head coach.

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Stackhouse has obvious ties to the Charlotte Hornets, given that the team’s owner (Michael Jordan), general manager (Mitch Kupchak) and assistant general manager (Buzz Peterson) are all former Tar Heels. The Hornets have a prospective coaching list that includes some of the same names being tossed around by the Knicks, and it’s yet to be seen if there is a front-runner for the position.

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