New York Knicks associate head coach Chris Jent is now a name to monitor in the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coaching search, according to the Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin.
A new name that’s started to circulate in the last day or two in connection to the Blazers’ coaching opening, in addition to confirmed finalists Micah Nori and Tyler Lashbrook: Knicks associate HC Chris Jent.
Highkin noted Knicks head coach Mike Brown lobbied for Jent to get an interview for a head coaching job in the postgame
press conference following the Knicks’ championship-clinching win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
“Chris Jent, my associate head coach, I’m surprised he has not gotten an interview,” Brown said. “He won the Summer League Championship this past summer. He’s our offensive coordinator. … He’s been around for a long time. Somebody needs to give him an interview because he will help your team win at the highest level.”
A former professional player, Jent, 56, has over 20 years of NBA and college coaching experience dating back to 2003. In the NBA, he has served as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04), Orlando Magic (2004-05), Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-11), Sacramento Kings (2013-15), Atlanta Hawks (2017-22), Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24), Charlotte Hornets (2024-25) and New York Knicks (2025-26).
During his one season in Orlando in 2004-05, Jent was promoted to interim head coach for the final 18 games of the regular season after the Magic fired head coach Johnny Davis in March of that year. Under Jent, the Magic went 5-13 to close out the season with a 36-46 record, finishing in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. He also served as the head coach of the Bakersfield Jam for the 2015-16 season in the NBA D-League (now the G League), coaching the team to a 21-29 record.
Jent’s lengthy career history means he has served under head coaches including Mike Budenholzer, Nate McMillan, Michael Malone, Brown (in Cleveland and New York) and Darvin Ham, among others. Additionally, he spent multiple seasons during the 2010s as an assistant on head coach Thad Matta’s staff at The Ohio State University.
As a player, Jent spent four seasons at Ohio State from 1988-92. Over his 10-year professional career, Jent played two seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets (1993-94) and the New York Knicks (1996-97); five seasons in the CBA; and time overseas in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.
He joins Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori and Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook as the other reported candidates for the Portland opening. Tiago Splitter, who was also a reported finalist in the search, left the Blazers to take the Chicago Bulls’ head coaching job earlier this week.
