Paris Basketball officially named Max Lefevre as head coach, marking his return to France after a decade in US basketball. Previously an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lefevre takes over from Julius Thomas. He will be supported by new assistant coach Pierric Poupet for the upcoming season.
Paris Basketball have officially announced Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Max Lefevre as their new head coach.
BasketNews' Donatas Urbonas reported the news of his arrival on Wednesday.
Pierric Poupet, the former LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne head coach, arrives as well to serve as an assistant coach.
The agreement brings Lefevre back to Europe and hands him his first permanent head-coaching position at the senior professional level.
The French coach replaces Julius Thomas, who left Paris after finishing the 2025-26 season as the club's interim head coach. Thomas guided the team to another appearance in the French League Finals after taking over during the campaign.
Paris find a new coach after a search that saw two candidates move away. They showed interest in former NBA head coach Dave Joerger and Le Mans head coach Guillaume Vizade, but both coaches decided to stay in their current situations.
Lefevre set for first senior head-coaching opportunity
Lefevre has been part of the Timberwolves organization since the 2019-20 season, initially working as a video coordinator and player development associate before moving up the coaching ladder.
Minnesota officially promoted him to assistant coach in August 2024.
Before joining the NBA franchise, he spent four seasons as Texas Tech's director of player development and helped the program reach the 2019 NCAA championship game while also winning the Big 12 regular-season title.
The Frenchman already has some experience leading a team after serving as Minnesota's head coach during the 2023 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Born in France, Lefevre moved to the United States as a young player and attended Avila University before earning a master's degree in sports administration from Angelo State.
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