UNC Basketball: Wayne Ellington to join Heat’s coaching staff
The former UNC basketball standout returns to the Miami Heat organization, but this time he won’t be suiting up as a player.
Wayne Ellington is heading back to Miami.
He’s now the “Coach with the Golden Arm” 👌
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 29, 2023
@WayneEllington has officially joined the Miami HEAT staff as a Player Development Coach. Congrats, Wayne! pic.twitter.com/5q09yuiVIj
The Miami Heat announced that they have hired Ellington to their coaching staff. The former UNC basketball standout will serve as the franchise’s Player Development Coach.
After being selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Ellington went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA for 9 different franchises, including a two-and-a-half-year stint with the Heat organization.
Ellington signed with the Heat as a free agent in 2016, as he provided some solid production during his short stint with the franchise. Over 164 regular season games with the Heat, the former Tar Heel shot 38.4 percent from three-point range, as he set the franchise’s single-season record with 227 three-pointers made during the 2017-2018 season (a record that has since been surpassed).
Now that his playing days appear to be over, Ellington is focused on transitioning to coaching. This will be the first NBA coaching job for the UNC basketball standout, as his professional experience and knowledge should be very valuable for the Heat franchise as they look to make another run toward an NBA title during the upcoming season.
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