The San Antonio Spurs officially announced that Matt Nielsen has been named assistant coach and joined Becky Hammon and Mitch Johnson on head coach Gregg Popovich’s staff.
Last Season Nielsen worked as a head coach of Austin Rivers, San Antonio’s official NBA G League affiliate. He led the team to a 10-5 record and a spot in the 2021 G League Playoffs.
The former Australian basketball athlete started his coaching career in 2015. He served as an assistant with Perth Wildcats till 2019 and helped guide the squad to three NBL championships (2016, 2017, 2019).
On 8 December 2020, Nielsen was named as assistant coach of the Australian national team under head coach Brian Goorjian. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he aided Australia capture bronze, earning the country’s first-ever medal in men’s basketball.
As a player, Nielsen made his professional debut with the Sydney Kings in 1995. He represented the club for 9 years and won two championships. After a stint in Australia, Matt moved to Europe. He played 9 seasons there and represented European powerhouses like Rytas Vilnius, Valencia Basket, Olympiacos Piraeus, and Khimki Moscow Region. The power forward is a two-time EuroCup winner (2010, 2012).
Moreover, Nielsen was a long-time member of the Australian national team (1997-2012). He represented the Boomers at 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics.
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