The 1999 NBA Coach of the Year brings over 30 years of NBA experience to the Green Wave.
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University Director of Athletics Troy Dannen formally introduced , as the Green Wave' new head men's basketball coach during a press conference today at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse. Dunleavy becomes the 24th head men's basketball coach in the 106-year history of the program.
"We could not be more excited to welcome Mike Dunleavy to the Green Wave family," Dannen said. "His reputation as a great evaluator of talent, master of strategy and teacher of the game define him today as one of the top basketball minds in the country at any level. His commitment to Tulane athletics is a game changer for our program."
"I am delighted to have the opportunity to coach the Green Wave and excited to help develop the students-athletes at Tulane into champions," said Dunleavy.
Over the past 45 years, Dunleavy has played and coached in world championship games, directed hall of fame and all-star players, led NBA franchises, served as a television analyst and played in the NCAA Tournament. He begins his 18th season as a head coach and his first at the collegiate level at Tulane in 2016-17.
The 1999 NBA Coach of the Year, Dunleavy, 62, brings over 30 years of NBA experience, either as a player, general manager or head coach to the Green Wave.
A 17-year veteran as an NBA head coach, Dunleavy won 613 regular season games, the 24th-most in NBA history, with four different teams (Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers, Los Angeles Clippers) and amassed 38 playoff victories in his career.
Dunleavy has been a part of 1,266 victories as an NBA assistant coach, head coach, general manager, player and collegiate student-athlete.
Along the way, he coached five future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers, including Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Moses Malone, Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis and James Worthy, and a total of six players under Dunleavy were named NBA All-Stars on nine occasions, including Johnson (1992 MVP), Worthy, Elton Brown, Chris Kaman, Rasheed Wallace and Vin Baker.
Dunleavy also developed an extensive coaching tree during his time in the NBA with nine of his former assistant coaches becoming NBA head coaches, including John Lucas, Kim Hughes, Eric Musselman (current head coach at Nevada), Tony Brown, Elston Turner, Frank Hamblen, Butch Carter, Randy Pfund and Bill Bertka.
Dunleavy's longest tenure was with the Los Angeles Clippers for seven seasons (2003-10). He led the club to 215 victories and seven playoff victories. The Clippers enjoyed their best season under Dunleavy during the 2005-06 campaign when he led the franchise to 47 wins and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals. He stepped down as head coach in 2010 to serve as the team's general manager.
Dunleavy began his coaching career in 1987 as an assistant coach at Milwaukee, where he served for three seasons (1987-1990). He earned his first head coaching job in 1990 with the Los Angeles Lakers, succeeding Pat Riley. During his rookie season (1990-91), he led a lineup that featured the combination of Johnson and Worthy to a Western Conference title and to the NBA Finals where the Lakers lost the series to the Michael Jordan- and Pippen-led Chicago Bulls.
Following the 1991-92 season, Dunleavy became the head coach in Milwaukee, where he led the Bucks to 107 wins in four seasons (1992-96) while also serving as the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations. He stepped away from the bench prior to the 1996-97 season to concentrate on his general manager duties with the Bucks for one season before taking the head coaching job in Portland.
Dunleavy coached the Trail Blazers for four seasons (1997-2001) and led the franchise to a 190-106 (.642) overall record and to four straight playoff appearances. The Blazers made back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000. Dunleavy's 1999-2000 team won 59 games, which matched the second-best single-season victory total in franchise history. Dunleavy earned the 1999 NBA Coach of the Year award after leading the 1998-99 Blazers to a Pacific Division-winning 35-15 record.
As a collegian, Dunleavy played at South Carolina from (1972-76) for legendary coach Frank McGuire and was a sixth-round draft pick (99th overall) by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976. He played for the 76ers alongside future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving and helped the team to the NBA Finals as a rookie.
Dunleavy played in 438 games during his 12-year NBA career, which included stops at Houston (1978-82), San Antonio (1982-83) and Milwaukee (1983-85, 88-90). His best season was with the Rockets during the 1980-81 campaign when he averaged 10.5 points per game and started on a team that played in the NBA Finals. In his lone season in San Antonio, Dunleavy led the NBA in three-point percentage, connecting at a .345 (67-194) clip from behind the arc.
A back injury prompted his unofficial retirement following the 1984-85 season and he worked for a New York investment firm before returning to the NBA as an assistant coach with Milwaukee for the 1986-87 season. He stayed on the Bucks' bench through the 1989-90 campaign, but returned to uniform in parts of two seasons (1988-89, 1989-90) when injuries to the Bucks' backcourt forced Dunleavy into the lineup.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Dunleavy played collegiately at the University of South Carolina, where he finished his career as the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,586 points. Dunleavy helped the Gamecocks to 81 victories and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. He appeared in 111 consecutive, starting his last 105. Dunleavy was a straight A student, majoring in psychology while at South Carolina.
He played his prep basketball at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn, where he earned All-New York City honors as a senior and had his number 44 jersey retired.
Dunleavy and his wife, Emily, have three sons: Mike Dunleavy, Jr., who plays for the Chicago Bulls, Baker Dunleavy, the associate coach at Villanova, and James Dunleavy, an NBA player agent.
