Spurs' assistant coach Ettore Messina has agreed on a deal to run basketball operations and become new coach of Olimpia Milano, based in Milan, Italy. Messina has been a lead assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff since 2014.
Earlier this month, Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka announced he was also leaving the Spurs. Udoka will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers’ coaching staff.
Messina has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach and is regarded as one of the best European basketball coaches of all time, having been named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.
He was named the Italian League's Best Coach three times, in the years 1998, 2001, and 2005. He has been named EuroLeague Coach of the Year twice, in 2006 and 2008. He was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and into the Russian VTB United League Hall of Fame, in 2019. In 17 seasons, his career head coaching record in the EuroLeague is 279–98 (.740).
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