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Cavaliers Hire Cleveland Native Jawad Williams As Assistant Coach

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Sam Amico | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 10:19 AM ET

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has lost several assistants. He just added another.

Per a team announcement , the Cavaliers have hired Cleveland native and former Cavs forward Jawad Williams as assistant coach.

Williams, 42, is a product of Lakewood St. Ed’s High School and played collegiately at North Carolina. He spent his lone three seasons in the NBA as a player (2008-11) with the Cavs.

Most of his time was a pro came internationally, where he played until 2022. He then served as an assistant coach in Japan and this past season with the Sacramento Kings.

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“With the Atkinson-led Cavs continuing to emphasize player development and four coaching departures — Bryan Tibaldi (Providence College), DeMarre Carroll (Phoenix Suns), Chris Darnell (Sacramento Kings) and Jordan Ott (Phoenix Suns) — they started looking for potential external replacements, identifying Williams as an ideal fit,” wrote Chris Fedor Cleveland.com.

Williams averaged 3.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 90 career NBA games.

This article first appeared on Hoops Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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