Las Vegas, July 12, 2016—Phil Johnson, one of the most impactful and successful Assistant Coaches in NBA history is the recipient of the inaugural “Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award,” the National Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

“Throughout his NBA coaching career, Phil Johnson epitomized everything that a world class Assistant Coach brings to the game. Teacher, motivator, competitor, confidant, are all skills that come to mind when thinking of Coach Phil Johnson and his impressive legacy. Phil worked side by side with such NBA coaching greats as Dick Motta, Frank Layden, and for 23 years with Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz. I can think of no more fitting recipient for the inaugural Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award,” said Dallas Mavericks head coach and National Basketball Association president Rick Carlisle.

“I would like to thank the National Basketball Coaches Association for the honor of being chosen as the first recipient of the National Basketball Coaches Association Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award. It is truly an honor. Three men chose me to be their first assistant: Dick Motta, Frank Layden and Jerry Sloan. We were more than co-workers; we were teammates, teachers, and ultimately friends for life. We were loyal to one another, and I was always free to express my opinions. I was lucky enough to be with teams who won much of

the time because we had good players who were willing to work hard and wanted to learn. I thank them for listening to me. I am appreciative of the owners, the general managers, and my fellow assistant coaches I worked with throughout my career. I want my family to know I appreciate the many sacrifices they made over the years. To the NBA (my second family) to the teams we competed against, to the fans who came to cheer us on, for the many memories that last a lifetime, I say thank you all. It’s been a great ride,” said Coach Phil Johnson.

View the full press release:

NBCA Presents Inaugural Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award to Phil Johnson