University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Former Panther John Little named head coach in NBA G League
7/27/2024 1:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PHOENIX --- Former UNI men's basketball shooting guard John Little has been named the head coach of the NBA G League's Valley Suns, as announced by the franchise on Thursday.
Little, who played for the Panthers from 2002 to 2006 under head coach Greg McDermott, becomes the Suns' first head coach in franchise history as part of NBA G League expansion, which announced the addition of a team in Arizona earlier this spring under the ownership of its NBA parent team, the Phoenix Suns.
A Peoria, Illinois native, Little was part of three consecutive NCAA Tournament teams with UNI in 2004, 2005 and 2006. This stretch also included the program's first-ever Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament championship in 2004. Little shot 40.3% from beyond the three-point arc during his collegiate career and ranks in the program's top ten all-time list in three-point shooting percentage to this day.
After graduating from UNI in 2006 with a degree in non-profit youth administration, Little spent eight seasons playing professionally in Germany with five different teams, which included a EuroChallenge championship in 2010 with BG Gottingen, as well as a 2016 FIBA Euro Cup title with the Fraport Skyliners. Little returned to UNI in 2017 and spent two seasons under head coach Ben Jacobson as the program's Video Coordinator.
In 2019, Little made the jump to the NBA G League with the Windy City Bulls where he coached for four seasons. This past year, he served as associate head coach of the Maine Celtics, the NBA G League affiliate of the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Maine would win its first conference title in franchise history with Little on the coaching staff in 2023-24 and make its first NBA G League Finals appearance.
Little is among four former Panthers who are currently serving in coaching roles throughout the NBA and NBA G League, including Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, Golden State Warriors Player Development Coach/Video Coordinator Klint Carlson and former UNI women's basketball standout and Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Brittni Donaldson.
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ABOUT THE NBA G LEAGUE
Founded in 2001, the NBA G League (formerly known as the National Basketball Development League, NBA Development League and NBA D-League) is made up of 31 teams across the United States, Canada and Mexico and serves as the official minor league organization for the NBA. As of last season, 29 of the league's 31 teams are affiliated or owned by an NBA franchise. In the league, players have the opportunity to earn a professional contract from an NBA team, and ultimately land themselves a spot on an official roster.