Former Arizona Wildcat Joseph Blair named Sixers assistant coach

The G League is supposed to be a place for players to develop until they, hopefully, earn a call up to the NBA.

The same goes for coaches.

Rio Valley Grande Vipers head coach and former Arizona Wildcat Joseph Blair was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach on Monday.

Blair is coming off a season in which he led the Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ affiliate, to a G League championship. He will be coaching the Sixers during NBA Summer League, which begins July 5.

The Sixers went 51-31 in 2018-19, losing to eventual-champion Toronto Raptors in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

”I’m honored and excited to work alongside Brett, this staff, and team, as well as being a part of such a historic, respected, and energetic organization,” Blair said in a statement. “I look forward to learning, growing, and adding value, all while producing positive results for the city and the organization.”

The former UA center averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with the Wildcats, starting for the 1994 Final Four squad.

Blair was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Draft but never suited up in an NBA game. He bounced around various overseas professional leagues from 1996-2009, and was the EuroLeague MVP in 2003.

When Blair’s playing career ended, he returned to Arizona as a an undergraduate assistant, then a graduate manager from 2013-15, helping develop UA’s frontcourt players.

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