Penn State Alum Jordan Ott Reportedly Hired as Phoenix Suns Head Coach

Penn State graduate Jordan Ott is moving forward in the NBA coaching ranks. Ott, a longtime assistant at the professional level, is set to be named the next head of the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday.

Ott, a McConnellsburg native, received his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Penn State in 2006. He furthered his education at Michigan State, earning a master’s degree in  athletic administration, before entering the NBA soon after.

Ott most recently served as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who led the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record under his leadership this past season.

Ott’s ascension to the top of the Suns’ coaching board comes 12 years after he introduced himself to the NBA as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013. 

After three seasons in Atlanta, Ott was hired by the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach in 2016. He left Brooklyn in 2022 for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he stayed for a year until he joined the Cavaliers last offseason.

Ott will become Phoenix’s fourth head coach in four seasons. He’ll replace his former boss, Mike Budenholtzer, who was fired in April after just one season with the Suns. Budenholtzer was the Hawks’ head coach during Ott’s three years in Atlanta.

Ott isn’t the only coach in the NBA ranks with ties to the Nittany Lions. Jones, who played for Penn State from 2006 through 2011, is head coach of the Toronto Raptors G-League affiliate, Raptors 905.

There were also three former Nittany Lions on NBA rosters this past season: Jalen Pickett, Lamar Stevens and Seth Lundy.