4 things to know about Phil Pressey, who is reportedly joining the Celtics’ coaching staff
Pressey had strong Boston ties even before to his time with the Celtics.
The Celtics are reportedly filling out head coach Joe Mazzulla’s staff for the 2023-2024 season, with a familiar face set to make his Boston return.
According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, former Celtics point guard Phil Pressey will join Mazzulla’s staff to help coach the team he once played for.
Here are a few things to know about the 32-year-old:
Pressey’s father was an NBA player, and later an assistant coach as well.
Pressey comes from a family of talented athletes. His sister was an All-American volleyball player at UC Berkeley, and his older brother played basketball at Missouri (as Phil did).
Both of his parents were also collegiate basketball players at Tulsa. His father, Paul, went on to become an NBA first-round pick in 1982 by the Bucks (20th overall).
Following the end of Paul’s NBA career, he remained in the league as an assistant coach for various teams over the following two decades. This included a stint as a Celtics assistant from 2004-through-2006.
Paul was part of an NBA champion in 1999 working under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs.
He made a name for himself playing on a prominent local team.
During his father’s time as a Celtics assistant, Pressey rose to prominence as a central player for the noted local AAU team, Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC).
Coached by former Celtics executive Leo Papile, BABC eventually reached (and won) a 2006 National Championship with Pressey running the offense. The team also included future UConn forward Alex Oriakhi, who Pressey became friends with and would eventually play alongside in college at Missouri after Oriakhi transferred for his senior season.
Because his father left the Celtics in 2006, Pressey eventually moved on to other AAU programs as a high schooler, gaining notoriety for his impressive dunks.
He was a leader at Missouri (where he was also recently an assistant coach).
Pressey was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, opting to join his brother (Matt) at Missouri.
While with the Tigers, Pressey set the school record for most career assists (580) while tying Anthony Peeler’s record for most career steals (196).
As a junior, Pressey helped Missouri to a 23-11 record in its first season playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference. He was named first-team All-SEC in 2013 before opting to leave college with one year of eligibility remaining.
Following his playing career — which ended with his 2022 retirement — Pressey returned to Missouri as an assistant coach.
After playing for the Celtics, Pressey made a career in the G-League and overseas.
The Celtics added Pressey for the team’s Summer League after he went undrafted in 2013. He impressed Boston’s coaching staff, and was given a regular season contract, featuring parts of the next two seasons.
Following the 2015-2016 season — which he spent with the 76ers and Suns — Pressey spent time in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors before heading abroad.
The final stretch of his professional playing career was spent overseas, including stops in Barcelona (where he won the 2018 Copa del Rey) and Turkey, playing for Beşiktaş.
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