Report: Suns to retain assistant coach David Fizdale under Mike Budenholzer
David Fizdale is well-respected around the NBA and a two-time champion with the Miami Heat and forward LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Phoenix Suns assistant coach David Fizdale will return to the team in a “prominent assistant coaching role” for recently-named head coach Mike Budenholzer, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Fizdale had been on Frank Vogel’s staff and now Budenholzer is keeping the two-time NBA head coach as part of his new group on the bench,” Wojnarowski said in an X post.
Fizdale is the second reported hire for Budenholzer, who according to The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin has brought one of his former assistants with the Milwaukee Bucks, Vince Legarza, to his staff in Phoenix.
Fizdale, 49, is considered a respected assistant around the NBA. His tenure with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as an assistant with the Miami Heat is well-known. The team won championships in 2012 and 2013.
James’ son, Bronny, is someone who is under consideration to be selected by Phoenix with their No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft, according to Shams Charania on FanDuel’s “Run It Back.”
This past season, Fizdale was credited with the development of Suns big Bol Bol. Bol, who was considered an outside member of the depth chart in October, blossomed into an important bench player for Phoenix by the end of the season.
In 31 games from Feb. 4 to April 14, Bol averaged 12.4 minutes per game, shooting 59 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Fizdale is a two-time NBA head coach with the Memphis Grizzlies (2016-17) and New York Knicks (2018-19), though he is well-known for his tenure with the Heat.
Fizdale spent the past season with the Suns under Frank Vogel.