Sixers To Hire Jim O'Brien As Assistant Coach

While the Sixers have stood pat so far on day one of free agency thus far, they did make one acqusition: signing a new assistant coach. Howard Eskin reported that Jim O'Brien will be joining Brett Brown's bench for the 2016-17 season, filling the vacancy left by Mike D'Antoni.

Former #Sixers head coach Jim O'Brien I'm told will be hired as assistant coach for Sixers. @FOX29philly

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) July 1, 2016

The 64-year-old O'Brien grew up in Philadelphia, and started on the St. Joseph's University basketball team for three seasons before beginning his coaching career in 1974. He also served as the Sixers head coach for the 2004-05 season, leading the team to a 43-39 season before losing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. O'Brien was fired shortly after that, and spent two years out of the league before taking over as the Indiana Pacers coach from 2007-2011.

His last coaching position came with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2012-13 season, where he served as an assistant under Rick Carlisle.