Former Lakers Guard Retires From NBA & Lands Coaching Job

Former guard Wayne Ellington will no longer suit up for an NBA team. As a player. However, he will definitely try his chances in a different field. According to several sources, the former Lakers guard retired from the NBA, but got a new coaching job. This is not a surprising development as many players pick the same direction. Coaching a team is not such a bad idea after all. They know the game and can understand players.

Ellington may not be a professional basketball player, but he will definitely be the next Player Development Coach for the Miami Heat. The franchise confirmed his new position with the team on September 29.

The former Lakers guard will work with a great coaching staff on his new job

It is interesting to note that Ellington has already been part of the Heat. He played with the team for three seasons from 2016 to 2019. Fun fact? He worked with current head coach Erik Spoelstra. Giving Ellington a chance to coach is a good decision as he is a career 38.2% shooter from the three-point line. He can help the heat improve their shooting and this is the most likely scenario for the former guard.

He’s now the “Coach with the Golden Arm”⁣ 👌
⁣@WayneEllington has officially joined the Miami HEAT staff as a Player Development Coach. Congrats, Wayne! pic.twitter.com/5q09yuiVIj

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 29, 2023

The Lakers had Ellington on the team in the 2021-22 NBA season. They didn’t bring him back last season. Ellington was a Laker in 2014-15, but the Lakers didn’t keep him around for a while. Ellington is a good player, but his struggles on the defensive end made things a little difficult for him. He couldn’t really find a home in the NBA late in his career and calling it career didn’t really come as surprise to the NBA world.

The Heat front office works with a strong coaching staff and Ellington seems like a natural fit for the team. He will learn from the best and hopefully, one day he can coach his own team. It is too soon to discuss this but his fanbase is definitely entertained by this idea. Let’s see how this coaching gig goes.