Charlotte Hornets assistant coach Chris Jent has been finalizing a deal to become the New York Knicks’ associate head coach under head coach Mike Brown, sources told ESPN. Jent, 55, will return to the Knicks, where he spent the 1996-97 NBA season as a small forward. The Ohio State men’s basketball alum went undrafted in the 1992 NBA Draft.
New York Knicks’ Associate Head Coach Chris Jent
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, “Charlotte Hornets assistant Chris Jent is finalizing a deal to become the associate head coach of the New York Knicks under Mike Brown, sources tell ESPN. New York and Tyler Glass of CSE Talent negotiated terms for Jent, who returns to Knicks where he spent 1996-97 as a player.”
Charania, 31, followed up with, “Jent has been an NBA assistant for over two decades and now assumes an elevated role as a significant hire for Brown. He won a title as a player with the Rockets in 1994. And guided the Hornets to the Las Vegas summer league championship in July.”
Chris Jent’s Playing and Coaching Careers
Chris Jent was born in Orange, California and raised in Sparta, New Jersey. Jent attended Sparta High School in Sparta, NJ and played college basketball at the Ohio State University, where he played for four seasons and left in 1992. The 6-foot-7, 220-lb big man went undrafted in the 1992 NBA Draft but began his professional basketball career with the CBA’s Rapid City Thrillers and Columbus Horizon and had a brief NBA career playing three games for the Houston Rockets — and won an NBA championship ring in 1994 — and New York Knicks.
Following his playing career, Jent began his coaching career. Jent’s coaching gigs included assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, assistant coach and director of player development with the Cleveland Cavaliers, assistant coach with the Ohio State Buckeyes, assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, head coach with the Bakersfield Jam, assistant with Ohio State, assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently, assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets.
Final Thoughts
The New York Knicks finally landed their ideal associate head coach in Chris Jent. However, Jent’s extensive experience as an NBA coach may not be able to defeat the upcoming challenges, even with the reunion with newly hired head coach Mike Brown. Jent worked under Brown in Cleveland from 2006 to 2010.
The Knicks’ offensive potential exists, but Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns’ chemistry remains a mixed bag, despite the dynamic duo of Brunson, 28, and Towns, 29, last season. In addition, Mikal Bridges is often drifted out of games. Bridges’ 14.4 field goal attempts were his fewest since 2022-23 and his free throw rate tied his rookie year low in 2018-19.
