Magic Finalize Coaching Staff For 2026/27

The Magic have finalized their coaching staff for the upcoming season, the team announced in a press release.

There will be a total of nine assistant coaches — Joe Prunty, Greg Buckner, Popeye Jones, Tom Bialaszewski, Riley Crean, Jon Harris, Ben Johnson, Jacqlyn Poss and Mfon Udofia — under new head coach Sean Sweeney.

Two other members of Sweeney’s staff will hold dual titles: DJ Bakker will be an assistant coach/director of player development, while Shannan Lum is an assistant/director of coaching operations.

Orlando also made two additions to its basketball operations department, hiring Curtis Lewis to be the new head video coordinator and Nicholas Russo as manager of basketball strategy.

Prunty is the most experienced NBA coach of the group. He’s been in the league since 1996, having started out with San Antonio and making previous stops in Dallas, Portland, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Phoenix and Milwaukee.

Prunty has been an interim and acting head coach in the past and holds a 25-17 career record in those instances, which came across three different seasons. He’s actually a holdover from last year’s staff, having been the top assistant under former Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who was let go and quickly hired by New Orleans.

Bucker and Jones are ex-NBA players and longtime NBA assistants. Buckner, a former associate head coach in Cleveland, has spent the past two seasons with the Bucks, while Jones was an assistant with Dallas in 2025/26. Jones spent several years Denver and Indiana before his second stint with the Mavs.

Interestingly, Poss has spent the past three-plus seasons as the Magic’s senior data scientist (in basketball operations) and is switching back to coaching. Poss is a former college and professional player who was an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas from 2018-21.