Juwan Howard is back in the NBA. It didn’t take long for the former Michigan men’s basketball head coach to find a new job. Howard will join the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach, according to a report Friday from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Howard was fired on March 13 after five seasons at Michigan. Before he landed the job at his alma mater, he’d spent six years as an NBA assistant coach with the Miami Heat.
The Nets hired a new head coach, Jordi Fernandez, on Monday. It’s Fernandez’s first head-coaching job in the NBA, though he was previously a head coach in the G League.
A return to the NBA was the logical step for Howard after he was dismissed last month, following an 8-24 season. He had a 19-year playing career in the league -- with eight teams, though never the Nets -- before transitioning to coaching. He was well respected and liked in the Heat organization, interviewing for head-coaching jobs around the league before landing at Michigan. His name came up for NBA openings after his initial success at Michigan -- an Elite Eight appearance in his second season and a Sweet 16 run the following year -- and his reputation in the NBA, per sources, remains strong.
The Nets went 32-50 this past season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They have not reached even the Eastern Conference finals since losing in the NBA finals in 2003.
Howard’s youngest son, Jett, is a rookie with the Orlando Magic.
Dusty May, the coach at Florida Atlantic the past six seasons, replaced Howard at Michigan.
Latest Michigan basketball news:
- Greg Harden, the late Michigan athletic counselor extraordinaire, celebrated
- Michigan basketball adds third top-100 recruit for 2025
- From the NBA to TV: Where last year’s Michigan basketball coaches ended up
- Michigan basketball adds commitment from New Zealand standout
- Star freshmen, new style of play: Kim Barnes Arico previews Michigan basketball