Report: Former Jazz Guard Hornacek To Join Rockets Bench
Nov 10, 2020, 10:11 AM | Updated: 12:07 pm
Former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jeff Hornacek will reportedly return to the NBA next season. According to Mark Berman of Fox 26, Hornacek, a former guard for the Utah Jazz has been hired an assistant for the Houston Rockets under new coach Stephen Silas.
“NBA source: Jeff Hornacek, former @Suns and @nyknicks head coach, is very close to signing with the @HoustonRockets, joining the staff of new head coach Stephen Silas as an assistant coach,” Berman tweeted.
NBA source: Jeff Hornacek, former @Suns and @nyknicks head coach, is very close to signing with the @HoustonRockets, joining the staff of new head coach Stephen Silas as an assistant coach.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 10, 2020
Hornacek has been away from the game since 2018 after being fired by the Knicks following a two-year stint as head coach. A longtime NBA veteran as a player, Hornacek will join assistant coach John Lucas on the Rockets bench.
During his four and a half year head coaching career, Hornacek had a record 0f 161-216 with the Suns and Knicks. Neither team qualified for the postseason under Hornacek’s watch.
Hornacek’s Playing Career Before Joining Rockets
The sharpshooting guard spent 14 seasons in the NBA, including the final six and a half years of his career in Utah. The guard retired with averages of 14.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game during his career with the Jazz, Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Hornacek is largely credited with pushing the Jazz over the hump in the Western Conference and helping the team qualify for the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
I stumbled across this from the 1995 #NBAPlayoffs while going through the Jazz vs. Rockets playoff archive. Jeff Hornacek was a wizard. #TeamIsEverything #UtahJazz #nba @KSL5TV @kslsports https://t.co/mswkFuB8kZ pic.twitter.com/cqMlqEl5MQ
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) April 13, 2019
The combo guard earned All-Star recognition in the 1992-93 season in Phoenix when he averaged 20.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 5 rebounds. Hornacek won the 1998 and 2000 NBA three-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend in a Jazz uniform.
On November 19, 2002, the Jazz retired Hornacek’s number 14 jersey.
