Former Kansas Jayhawks point guard Jacque Vaughn, who coached the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets after spending 12 years in the league as a player, has been hired an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, KU coach Bill Self announced Wednesday.
Vaughn, 50, replaces Norm Roberts, who announced his retirement on May 5 after 14 seasons at KU and 37 total years in the business.
“We’re very excited to welcome Jacque and (his wife) Laura into the fold,” Self said Wednesday. “I’ve known Jacque from a distance for several years now and have always admired how he has conducted himself professionally and how he has treated people.
“I think he will be an excellent addition to our program, while also serving as a great mentor, coach and representative of Kansas basketball. We lost an awesome coach in Norm (Roberts) when he retired but feel very fortunate to have replaced him with a tremendous Jayhawk that has a unique and impressive resume.”
Vaughn is the first-ever former NBA head coach to join the KU coaching staff. He brings more than 15 years of NBA coaching experience back to KU. He has coached NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Victor Oladipo and Ben Simmons and former Jayhawks Markieff Morris and Jalen Wilson.
“I’m truly honored and overwhelmed with excitement to return to my alma mater and join Coach Self’s staff as an assistant coach,” Vaughn said. “The game of basketball has provided me the incredible privilege to mentor, coach, and compete alongside some of the best in the game. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring those experiences back to the school that means so much to me. It’s a blessing to once again be part of the Jayhawk tradition.”
Vaughn played four seasons at Kansas from 1993-94 until 1996-97. He concluded his career as KU’s and the Big Eight Conference’s all-time assists leader with 804 assists, which currently ranks third at KU. The Pasadena, California native earned second-team All-America honors his senior year under coach Roy Williams. Vaughn was a two-time Academic All-America first team selection in 1996 and 1997 and was the 1997 Academic All-American of the Year. Vaughn and Cole Aldrich (2010) are the only two players in program history to be named Academic All-American of the Year.
Vaughn, a two-time all-Big Eight pick, was the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year. He also received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award in 1996.
Vaughn ranks third in assists (804), ninth in games started (125), 19th in steals (160), 23rd in three-point field goal percentage (38.3%) and 40th in points scored (1,207) on KU’s all-time stat lists Vaughn’s KU jersey was officially retired on Dec. 21, 2002.
Following his college career, Vaughn was drafted in the first round, No. 27 overall, by the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Draft. He played 12 seasons in the NBA – four with Utah (1998-2001), two with Atlanta (2002, 2004), one with Orlando (2003), two with New Jersey (2005-06) and three with San Antonio (2007-09). He was a key reserve on the 2007 San Antonio Spurs team that won an NBA title.
Following his playing career, Vaughn was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs from 2010 to 2012 and was named head coach for the Orlando Magic in July 2012. After his time as head coach of the Magic (216 games), he spent the 2015-16 season as a scout for the Spurs. Vaughn then became a top assistant for the Brooklyn Nets for the 2016-17 season and was named interim head coach in March 2020 and guided the franchise the NBA playoffs. He moved back to his assistant role that September under coach Steve Nash.
In November 2022, Vaughn again was named interim head coach of the Nets and shortly thereafter had the interim title removed. He guided the Nets to playoffs for the second time in 2023 and while with the Nets, he coached several standouts, including Durant, Irving, Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas and Jarrett Allen.
Vaughn will join Kurtis Townsend, Jeremy Case, Joe Dooley and Chase Buford as assistants on Self’s staff.
“I always tell people after he retires he could be governor of California or Kansas,” his college coach, former KU and North Carolina coach Roy Williams has said of Vaughn.
“He’s that kind of youngster. He is one of the most disciplined young men I’ve coached. He’s the best I’ve ever had in being a coach on the floor. The best I’ve had in being concerned with how his teammates were doing. He’s truly one of the great players to play at Kansas.”
In another interview Williams said: “I told him he could be a great coach but he could also be the governor of California. He was a great leader (at KU) and so intelligent and great at getting guys to make decisions as a group when he made them think what’s best for them.
“Jacque was in charge,” Williams added. “He knew where everybody should be and what they should be doing. If the big guys ran the floor with him, he would reward them by getting them the ball more to make sure they did it more.”
Of Vaughn, Nets general manager Sean Marks said in 2022: “Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group. He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball. When we look at the person he is, we look at his connection with players … His competitive spirit, a lot of that goes a long way.”
Former Nets star forward Durant told the New York Daily News he loved playing for Vaughn.
“He’s (Jacque Vaughn) been huge. Just keeping it simple. We have high expectations for our team, but the process is more important than the end result. Each day matters and Jacque has been preaching that since he got the job,” Durant said.
“As a player, you like to simplify the game and what you’re doing and that’s what he’s been doing this whole time. Guys have been learning on the fly, but also picking up things quick and applying it quickly so Jacque has been doing a great job for us.”
The Kansas City Star
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Gary Bedore covers KU basketball for The Kansas City Star. He has written about the Jayhawks since 1978 — during the Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self eras. He has won the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year award and KPA writing awards.