Jarrett Jack Hired as Suns Assistant Coach on Monty Williams' Staff

The Phoenix Suns announced the addition of former NBA guard Jarrett Jack to Monty Williams' coaching staff Saturday.

Jack spent 13 seasons in the league, most recently playing for the New York Knicks in 2017-18. The 37-year-old suited up for the NBA G League Ignite in 2020-21 and is also the captain of Trilogy in the BIG3 league.

Jack told the New York Post's Marc Berman in March 2018 he might consider a move to the coaching ranks one day.

"Whatever I’m going to do after basketball is whatever I’m passionate about. Basketball is one of those passions. I know coaching and coming up with strategies and doing this day to day, it’s a lot more difficult than people think. If I was able to get in that line of work and I was passionate about it and learned the craft and was confident with it, I would probably give it a shot."

Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks' head coach at the time, also offered a strong endorsement, saying Jack had a "great knowledge of the game" and will "be a great coach some day."

Jack played under Williams with the New Orleans Hornets and was briefly teammates with Chris Paul in 2010-11. His friendship with Paul dates back well before that, including when they played against one another in college in the ACC.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael Shapiro, Williams recounted a moment during the 2011-12 season, after Paul had been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, when a fan threw a peanut at the back of his head.

Jack attempted to run into the stands after the fan, only to be held back by Hornets coaches. Meanwhile, Paul was trying to do the very same thing from the opposite bench.

The bond between Jack, Paul and Williams is obviously a strong one, making Phoenix a great place for Jack to begin his NBA coaching career. 

He could follow the trajectory of Willie Green. After a 12-year playing career, Green moved into coaching and worked under Williams for two seasons before getting the New Orleans Pelicans' gig.