Sam Vincent facts for kids

James Samuel Vincent (born May 18, 1963) is an American basketball player and coach. He used to play professionally and now coaches. As of July 2025, he is a defensive coach for APR in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He also coaches MBB in the same league.

Vincent was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 1981. This award goes to the best high school basketball player in Michigan. He played college basketball for four years at Michigan State. After college, he became a professional player. In 1986, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. After his playing career, Vincent started coaching basketball in Europe and other places.

Sam Vincent's Basketball Journey

High School Star

Sam Vincent won the "Mr. Basketball" award for Michigan in 1981. This was the very first time this award was given out. He went to Eastern High School in Lansing. During his senior year, he scored an amazing 61 points in one game! This broke the city's old scoring record of 54 points. That record was set by the famous player Magic Johnson.

College and NBA Draft

Vincent is 6 feet 2 inches tall and played as a point guard. He followed his older brother, Jay Vincent, to Michigan State University. In 1985, he was recognized as an All-America player by The Sporting News. After finishing college, the Boston Celtics chose him in the 1985 NBA draft. He was the twentieth player picked that year.

Playing in the NBA

Sam Vincent played two seasons with the Boston Celtics. He helped them win an NBA Championship in 1986. He was a reserve player on that championship team. After the Celtics, he joined the Seattle SuperSonics. They soon traded him to the Chicago Bulls. He played well for the Bulls for about a season and a half.

In 1989, the Orlando Magic picked him in the NBA expansion draft. He finished his NBA career with the Magic in the 1991–92 season. One of his basketball cards from 1990–1991 is famous. It shows Michael Jordan wearing a number 12 jersey instead of his usual number 23. During his seven years in the NBA, Vincent scored 3,106 points. He also made 1,543 assists for his teammates.

Sam Vincent's Coaching Career

Early Coaching Roles

After he stopped playing, Sam Vincent worked at Disney's Wide World of Sports. This is a big sports complex at Walt Disney World. In the late 1990s, he started coaching basketball in South Africa. He has also coached teams in Greece, the Netherlands, and Nigeria. He coached in the NBA Developmental League too. He reached the league finals twice in the NBADL and won one championship.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, he coached the Nigerian women's basketball team. He led them to a 68–64 victory over South Korea. This was the first time an African country won a game in Olympic women's basketball.

Coaching NBA and National Teams

Vincent coached the Fort Worth Flyers during the 2005–06 season. He also coached the Nigeria men's team. He led them to the second round of the 2006 FIBA World Championship. They even had a surprising win against Serbia and Montenegro. After this, he became an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks.

On May 25, 2007, Sam Vincent became the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA. He coached them for one season. On April 26, 2008, he was no longer the head coach. Later that year, Vincent became the head coach of the Anaheim Arsenal. This team was in the NBA Development League.

Coaching Nigeria's Women's Team

Vincent coached the Nigerian women's national basketball team, known as D'Tigress, at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Their win against South Korea was a historic moment for African basketball. In 2005, he led the team to win their second FIBA African Basketball Championship (Afrobasket) title.

He returned to coach D'Tigress in 2017. They had a perfect record in the 2017 FIBA African women's basketball tournament in Mali. The team won their third Afrobasket title by beating Senegal 65–48 in the final. This win also qualified them for the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain. However, his time as head coach ended in August 2018.

Recent Coaching Roles

Sam Vincent was later named the head coach of the Bahrain men's national basketball team. He had previously coached several clubs in Bahrain, including Riffa, Manama, and Al-Ahli Manama.

In September 2022, Vincent became the first head coach for the men's team at Beacon College. This is a college in Central Florida. In February 2025, Vincent was announced as the new head coach for the South African club MBB. This team plays in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Former Magic player Pat Burke took over Vincent's coaching role at Beacon College in March 2025. MBB was eliminated in the group stage of the BAL. In June 2025, Vincent joined the Rwandan team APR as a defensive coach for the 2025 BAL playoffs. He also plans to continue coaching MBB.

Personal Life

Sam Vincent has children who have South African nationality.

Coaching Records

NBA Head Coach Stats

College Head Coach Stats

See also

In Spanish: Sam Vincent para niños