7 Kings Players who became coaches after their playing careers ended 

5. Mike Woodson

Mike Woodson has had a long basketball career. He first came to the NBA in 1980 as a first-round pick for the New York Knicks. In 1982, he was traded from the New Jersey Nets to the Kansas City Kings. Playing for the Kings between 1982 and 1986, he witnessed the team’s move to Sacramento. 

As a King, Woodson averaged his career-high points per game and helped the team go to the payoffs. After five seasons with the franchise, he was traded to the Clippers and also had stops with the Rockets and Cavaliers before retiring in 1991. 

Hanging up his basketball shoes didn’t mean leaving the game behind, however. Since 1996, Woodson has been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and LA Clippers, as well as a head coach for the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-2010 and the Knicks for a few years after that. Both teams went to the playoffs under his leadership. 

In 2021, Woodson eventually left the NBA behind to become the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team, where he has been ever since. His team has produced recent NBA draft picks Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jake Hood-Schifino.