Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1952)
Jim O'Brien | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 11, 1952 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Basketball coach |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Head coach for Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers; senior advisor for Philadelphia 76ers |
James Francis Xavier O'Brien (born February 11, 1952) is an American basketball coach who currently holds the position of senior advisor with the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his career, O'Brien has occupied both assistant and head coaching positions across collegiate programs and the NBA. His head coaching appointments include tenures at Wheeling Jesuit (1982–1987), Dayton (1989–1994), the Boston Celtics (2001–2004), the Philadelphia 76ers (2004–05), and the Indiana Pacers (2007–2011).
Early life and education
Born and raised in Philadelphia, O'Brien is the son-in-law of Hall of Fame coach Jack Ramsay. He completed his secondary education at Roman Catholic High School in 1970, followed by a degree from St. Joseph's University in 1974, where he was a three-season starter on the basketball team. He later obtained an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland in 1981.
Coaching career
O'Brien’s head coaching career began at Wheeling Jesuit University from 1982 to 1987 and continued at the University of Dayton between 1989 and 1994. In his initial season with Dayton, he guided the Flyers to the second round of the NCAA tournament; however, after two seasons with only 10 wins apiece, he was dismissed. Subsequently, he served as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at both the University of Kentucky (1994–1997) and later with the Boston Celtics (1997–2001).
Taking over as head coach of the Boston Celtics from 2001 to 2004, O'Brien focused on rebuilding the squad and led them to two playoff berths. Nevertheless, disagreements with GM Danny Ainge regarding roster decisions resulted in his resignation in January 2004.
During the 2004–05 season, O'Brien helmed the Philadelphia 76ers, steering them back into postseason contention after missing out previously. Despite signing a contract extending multiple years, he was dismissed and succeeded by Maurice Cheeks.
In 2007, O'Brien was appointed head coach of the Indiana Pacers following Rick Carlisle's departure after a decade-long playoff streak ended. His tenure concluded in January 2011 when Pacers President Larry Bird relieved him of his duties, appointing assistant Frank Vogel as his replacement.
O'Brien joined the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant coach for the 2012 season before stepping away from coaching to prioritize family commitments. He returned to the Philadelphia 76ers organization in 2016 as an assistant coach under Brett Brown.
Broadcasting career
Between 2005 and 2007, O'Brien worked as an NBA analyst for ESPN.
Personal life
His son, Jack O'Brien, is known as an internet comedian and podcast host.
NBA
|- | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | style="text-align:left;"| |48||24||24|||| style="text-align:center;"|5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|Did not reach playoffs |- | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | style="text-align:left;"| |82||49||33|||| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Atlantic||16||9||7|| | style="text-align:center;"|Eliminated in Conference Finals |- | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | style="text-align:left;"| |82||44||38|||| style="text-align:center;"|3rd in Atlantic||10||4||6|| | style="text-align:center;"|Eliminated in Conference Semifinals |- | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | style="text-align:left;"| |46||22||24|||| style="text-align:center;"|(resigned)||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|— |- | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | style="text-align:left;"| |82||43||39|||| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Atlantic||5||1||4|| | style="text-align:center;"|Exited in First Round |- | style="text-align:left;"|Indiana | style="text-align:left;"| |82||36||46|||| style="text-align:center;"|3rd in Central||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|Did not qualify for playoffs |- | style="text-align:left;"|Indiana
| style="text-align:left;" | |82 ||36 ||46 || ||style="text-align:center;" |4th in Central ||— ||— ||— ||— |style="text-align:center;" |Did not qualify for playoffs |- |style="text-align:left;" |Indiana |style="text-align:left;" | |82 ||32 ||50 || ||style="text-align:center;" |4th in Central ||— ||— ||— ||— |style="text-align:center;" |Did not qualify for playoffs |- |style="text-align:left;" |Indiana |style="text-align:left;" | |44 ||17 ||27 || ||style="text-align:center;"|(fired) ||— ||— ||— ||— |style="text-align:center;" |— |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;" |Career | ||630 ||303 ||327 || || ||31 ||14 ||17 ||