Who is Micah Nori? What should you know about Blazers new head coach

The Portland Trail Blazers were dealt a bad hand to start the 2025-26 NBA season, with their head coach, Chauncey Billups, indicted in October 2025 on federal wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges.

Still, despite having to change their coaching staff on the fly just one game into the season, the Blazers exceeded expectations, earning a spot in the Play-In Tournament and earning the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed.

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Their decision to not bring back head coach Tiago Splitter certainly had fans scratching their heads. But the Blazers have found a new sheriff in town, Micah Nori.

An assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the last five seasons, Nori has been with five teams as an assistant over the last 17 seasons. Here’s what to know about the new head coach in Portland.

Who is Micah Nori?

Widely regarded as one of the top assistants in the league, Nori possesses strong communication and relationship skills, reportedly beating out Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and former Blazers’ interim coach Tiago Splitter for the job.

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Involved in NBA coaching ranks since 2009, Nori has served as an assistant for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves in his career.

Has Nori ever been a head coach?

Not during the regular season. However, during the Timberwolves’ 2024 playoff run, Nori was forced to step up for parts of the postseason after head coach Chris Finch suffered a knee injury when Mike Conley collided with him on the sidelines.

Finch has gone out of his way to sing Nori’s praises over the years.

“He is elite in what I call the small pieces of the game,” Finch said per The Athletic. “Small not that they are unimportant, but small in that they are often overlooked. He’s elite with lineup combinations. Elite with rotations. Elite with special situations, whether it’s [after timeouts], end of game or just understanding how to maximize possessions.”

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Did Nori draw interest from other teams?

The Athletic reports that Nori also drew interest from the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls,…

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Publish date : 2026-06-23 17:34:00

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