When we last checked in on Monty Williams, he had just been fired by the Detroit Pistons. A year earlier, he had become, at that time, the highest-paid coach in NBA history, signing a six-year, $78.5 million deal with the team. Williams and Pistons were not a great fit; Detroit finished with a 14-68 record, the worst in the NBA. The Pistons also notoriously set the record for most single-season losses in a row (tying the all-time NBA record) after dropping 28 straight games.
Williams won’t be coaching an NBA team this season, though he will be on the sidelines. TMI Episcopal High School in San Antonio announced it was hiring Williams to coach its basketball team. Williams, who played nearly three seasons with the Spurs and also worked with the team as a coaching intern and vice president of basketball operations, recently moved back to San Antonio.
It’s a safe guess that no other high school coach will make as much money as Williams this season. He’s still owed the remainder of his Pistons contract — $65 million, or about $13 million annually.
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Williams also gets the honor of coaching his son, Elijah. The younger Williams is one of the top high-school prospects in the country. He’ll be a junior this season, and Williams has another son who’s set to graduate in 2029.
The Phoenix Suns had fired Williams during the 2022-23 season, and he planned to take a season off from coaching. But when the Pistons came knocking last summer with a $78.5 million deal, it was an easy decision for Williams. Can you blame him? We’d put off a vacation for that kind of money, too.
As long as Williams doesn’t take another job in the NBA, the Pistons will continue paying him. Williams gets to spend more time with his family without dealing with a grueling 82-game NBA schedule or the rigors of college basketball recruiting.
High school basketball is a far cry from two years ago when Williams won the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year with the Phoenix Suns. Yet, it’s hard to imagine a better situation for Williams and his family.