Terry Stotts is set to return to the Milwaukee Bucks as one of the team's assistant coaches. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 65-year-old Stotts is finalizing a deal to join Adrian Griffin’s new coaching staff.
A familiar face in Milwaukee
Being in Milwaukee is not something new for Stotts. The 65-year-old joined the Bucks in 2005 and made an instant impact, steering the team to the playoffs.
In his first season with Milwaukee, the Bucks posted a 40-42 record in the regular season but lost a five-game first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.
Stotts was fired towards the end of his second season on March 14, 2007—Milwaukee had a 23-41 record when Stotts was dismissed.
Scott's run in Portland
Stotts was then named coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. Portland missed the playoffs in his first season as the team’s head coach. But after an unproductive debut year, Stotts led the Blazers to eight straight playoff appearances.
Stotts signed a contract extension in May 2016, and in the 2018–19 season, he guided the Trail Blazers to their deepest playoff run in almost 20 years when they reached the Western Conference Finals.
In that stellar run, Portland first defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, 4-1, and then the Denver Nuggets in the second round. The team, however, ran out of steam in the West Finals and got swept by the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
After that West Finals trip, Portland still made the playoffs for two straight years but failed to get past the first round on both occasions.
In June 2021, Stotts and Portland mutually agreed to part ways. Stotts left Portland with the second-most wins in franchise history with 402.
As an NBA coach, Stotts, who also had coaching stints with the Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks, has posted a 517-486 record.
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