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Former Boomers captain Matt Nielsen has been promoted to NBA assistant coach from the San Antonio Spurs in the last big step of his career.
Nielsen, who worked as Brian Goorjian’s assistant for the Boomers’ bronze medalist team at the Tokyo Olympics, joins Becky Hammon and Mitch Johnson in head coach Gregg Popovich’s squad.
Last season, Nielsen was head coach of the Austin Spurs, the official subsidiary of the San Antonio NBA G League, and led them to a 10-5 record and a playoff berth.
The 43-year-old was previously an assistant to the Perth Wildcats from 2015 to 2019, helping them win three NBL championships in four seasons, before joining Spurs as a G League assistant.
His promotion comes a month after fellow Aussie center Jock Landale joined Spurs on a two-year contract after a superb season for NBL champions Melbourne United.
Nielsen has enjoyed a long and successful playing career in Australia, with the Sydney Kings and in Europe and competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, captaining the Boomers in Beijing and London.
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