Lakers hire Dan D'Antoni as assistant coach

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Dan D’Antoni to serve as an assistant coach, it was announced today by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

The older brother of Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni, Dan joins the team after spending the past four seasons with the New York Knicks, where he served as an assistant coach on his brother’s staff.  Hired by New York on June 20, 2008, D’Antoni helped the 2010-11 Knicks to their first winning season since 2000-01. Prior to his time in New York, Dan served as an assistant coach during Mike D’Antoni’s final three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, helping the team to Pacific Division titles in 2006 and 2007.

Before joining the Suns in 2005, D’Antoni spent three decades as head coach of Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, SC, where he compiled over 500 wins.  D’Antoni, who led the 1968-69 Marshall team in scoring (17.5 points per game), graduated from Marshall in 1970, served as an assistant coach for Marshall’s varsity team during the 1970-71 season and earned a Master’s degree in Principles of Guidance from Marshall in 1972.  D’Antoni was later inducted into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.