NBA
Suns’ New Hire Jordan Ott on First NBA Head Coach Job: ‘I’ve Earned Right to be Here’
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated11 Jun 2025
After a poor season with an underachieving, yet expensive roster, the Suns organization have decided to place their trust in a leader who has never head coached in the NBA before. Jordan Ott has been confirmed to lead the Arizona squad this upcoming campaign, and he’s convinced he’s earned this opportunity.
One thing for sure is, taking over the Phoenix team won’t come easy, especially over the fact that so many high expectations surround the franchise. “We’re all aware of what we sign up for when we’re an NBA basketball coach,” Ott shared. “I’m not here to look back, what’s happened, I’m focused to move this thing forward. That’s my sole energy.”
This past Tuesday, Jordan was introduced to the club’s training facilities about a week after hiring the former Cavaliers assistant to replace Mike Budenholzer, who has discharged after his lone season with the Suns, which resulted in a frustrating 36-36 mark.
Believe it or not, Ott is set to become Phoenix’s fourth tactician in the past four years. “I’ve earned the right to be here,” the young coach told the press at the start of this week. “I’ve spent 20 years of working as hard as I possibly can to be here in this spot.”
He then added: “I’ve been around great people, great coaches, great players, to allow me to grow, put me in tough spots to see if I can be better. I know I’ve earned this opportunity. I’m going to work as hard as I can from here on out to prove I’m here for the right reasons.”
First-year general manager Brian Gregory shared what the interview process was like, which took more than a month to finally land on their decision. Apparently, after many candidates met with the Suns front office, the two finalists were Ott and his fellow Cleveland assistant Johnnie Bryant.
“At the end of it, no question, clear choice, Jordan Ott stood out in every single stage of the process,” Gregory assured. “What we’re bringing in today is a hungry assistant coach, who is now a head coach and spent 12 years in the NBA preparing for this day. His work ethic is beyond reproach.”
