Boston Celtics make it official, tab top Duke assistant for similar role with NBA team
Now, it’s official.
As the News & Observer first reported on June 21, the Boston Celtics officially announced Thursday that top Duke assistant coach Amile Jefferson will be joining the NBA team’s staff for the 2023-24 season.
A former Duke player who coached on the Blue Devils’ staff with Jon Scheyer last season, and with longtime head coach Mike Krzyzewski the year before, Jefferson will become an assistant coach for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Amile is a rising star in the coaching profession and I’m so excited and proud of him for earning this opportunity with one of the NBA’s iconic franchises,” Scheyer said in a release Thursday. “The Celtics are getting a winner — one of the hardest working, most passionate, positive and dedicated people I know. He is a tremendous teacher of the game and his ability to connect with players is innate. I can’t thank Amile for all he’s meant to me and our program.”
The 30-year-old Jefferson played for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 2012-17 when he was team captain during three seasons, including the 2015 NCAA championship team. After a professional player career in the NBA, G League and in Turkey, Jefferson returned to Duke in summer 2021 as director of player development during Krzyzewski’s final season as Duke’s head coach.
Last summer, Jefferson was promoted to an assistant coach when Scheyer took over as head coach following Krzyzewski’s retirement.
“Duke has meant the world to me — this place is home,” Jefferson said in the release. “I’m so grateful to have earned my degree, played and began my coaching career here. I can’t thank Coach K, Coach Scheyer, the players and our staff enough. Although I’m going to miss Durham and my Duke family tremendously, the Brotherhood is forever. This opportunity with the Boston Celtics was something that feels like the next step in my journey. The Celtics are one of the elite professional franchises in sports, and it’s a special place for me. I’m honored to be able to learn from everyone in this organization. I wish our guys at Duke all the best, and I know great things are in store for Jon and the program.”
In Boston, Jefferson will be reunited with his former Duke teammate, NBA All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. They played together during the 2016-17 season, helping the Blue Devils win the ACC championship.
Jefferson’s move to Boston is part an overhaul of the Celtics coaching staff. Since Boston was eliminated in a seven-game Eastern Conference finals series by Miami, the Celtics have hired 32-year-old Phil Pressey off the Missouri staff while also adding former Philadelphia 76ers assistant Sam Cassell and former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee.
A Philadelphia native, Jefferson played five seasons at Duke, including the 2015-16 season when he was limited to nine games by a foot injury. He was named the Academic all-ACC team four times, making him the only Duke basketball player make that team four times.
He played 30 games in his NBA career, all with the Orlando Magic between 2018-2020. He spent 15 days in December 2020 with the Celtics but didn’t appear in a game. He completed his playing career in the Turkish Basketball Super League in 2020 and 2021 before returning to Duke.
