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Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has won NBA Coach of the Year, beating fellow finalists Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins.
Williams narrowly missed out on 2020-21 award, with the New York Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau edging the final tally by 11 votes, but he was the clear choice this season after leading the Suns to a league-best 64-18 record.
As well as winning eight more games than any other team, it also set a new franchise record for wins in a season, and legitimised last year’s run to the NBA Finals as more than a fluke.
The news was first broken by Suns star Devin Booker, who tweeted: “Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been voted the NBA’s COY, book tells sources. A formal announcement is expected later today.”
Williams, a former first-round pick in his own right, spent 10 years in the league as a player, and became the youngest head coach in the NBA in 2010 when he earned the head coaching role of the New Orleans Hornets at 38 years old.
After his departure from New Orleans and five years as an assistant, Williams was hired by the Suns in 2019, guiding his team to a memorable 8-0 run in the ‘bubble’ during his first season.
He has followed that season with two consecutive National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year awards, and his first official NBA Coach of the Year.
The Suns are a combined 115-39 over the past two regular seasons.
