Nate McMillan

Lore & Background

McMillan grew up in North Carolina's basketball country and attended Raleigh's William G. Enloe High School. After playing two years at Chowan College, he returned to Raleigh to play for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State. He helped lead NC State to the Elite Eight in both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA tournaments. McMillan was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 30th pick in the 1986 NBA draft and spent his entire 12-year playing career there.

He shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. He led the NBA in steals per game in 1993–94 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for 1993–94 and 1994–95. His number 10 jersey was retired by the SuperSonics. After retiring, he served as an assistant and then head coach for Seattle, later head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers, and head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach in 2024.

Reader's Guide

McMillan's coaching career includes head coaching stints with the Seattle SuperSonics (2000–2005), Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2012), Indiana Pacers (2016–2020), and Atlanta Hawks (2021–2023). He also served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 before becoming head coach. He was an assistant coach for the U.S. national team in 2006, 2008, and 2012.

Did You Know?

• He earned the nickname 'Mr. Sonic' for his 19 years of service to the Seattle SuperSonics.
• He helped the SuperSonics reach the NBA Finals in 1995–96, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls.