Conner Henry was appointed Wednesday as the coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ NBA Development League team.
Henry succeeds Phil Hubbard. The D-Fenders declined to exercise the team option on his contract for a second season after he coached the D-Fenders to a 17-33 record.
Henry coached the league’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants to a title in the 2013-14 season and was selected by his colleagues as the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year.
Henry again coached the Mad Ants to the finals in the 2014-15 season, where they lost to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors‘ D-League affiliate.
“We consider him the best coach in the league,” D-Fenders President/CEO Joey Buss said. “His leadership is effective for winning and developing players.”
Henry was a D-Fenders assistant during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He also coached four seasons in the Australian National Basketball League, including one as a head coach.
Henry was an assistant coach at Claremont McKenna College for five seasons.
The 51-year-old Henry played two seasons in the NBA and with teams in Italy, Spain, France and Greece. He also played at UC Santa Barbara and Claremont High School.
Henry is the eighth coach of the D-Fenders, who began play in 2006.
— City News Service