Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watches his team play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter of game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was named the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year on Sunday, receiving the Red Auerbach Trophy, according to an announcement from the NBA Communications official Twitter:
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/f0UEJ30QAs
Daigneault, who is in his fourth season leading the Thunder, spent the previous five seasons coaching their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. He led the franchise to a 57-25 record, which is their best record since the 2013-14 season. Oklahoma City tied for the best record in the Western Conference, earning the top-seed in the postseason. It marks their first postseason appearance since 2019-20.
The Thunder improved their win total by 17 games from last season. They became the youngest team since 1970-71 – when conferences were introduced to the league – to finish atop their conference. Daigneault joins Scott Brooks in 2009-10 as the second head coach to win the award in franchise history.
While the voting for the other three awards that have been announced – Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year – have been tightly contested, that was not the case for the NBA Coach of the Year award. Daigneault took the honors in a landslide victory, receiving 89 of 99 first-place votes.
Check out the full voting results for the 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year below:
Mark Daigneault reveals message to Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have remained among the best teams in the league for the duration of the season. During his appearance on Inside the NBA, Mark Daigneault was asked if he discussed championships with his team in training camp by Shaquille O’Neal, responding:
No, I mean we’re taking it a task at a time. Our heads down. At the end of the day, you’ve got to stack days, you’ve got to stack games, you’ve got to stack possessions. You can only really handle what’s right in front of you. We try to be very, very present so we really haven’t had our head in the clouds. We have our undivided attention on whatever’s in front of us.
Daigneault signed a multi-year extension with the Thunder ahead of the 2023-24 season. He finished as the runner-up for the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year award. Oklahoma City will be back in action in Game 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. They will look to finish off the sweep and advance past the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2015-16, Kevin Durant’s final season with the team.
Check out Shaquille O’Neal’s question and Mark Daigneault’s response below (starting at the 7:47 mark):
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Caleb Gebrewold is the Editor for The Dunk Central. He is an experienced journalist who has covered the NBA, MLB, NFL, college sports, mixed martial arts and boxing. His work has been featured in publications such as Fansided, MSN, Yardbreaker, Sportskeeda and Gridiron Heroics. Caleb has a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications from Purdue University.
