It's a homecoming for Joseph Blair. After five years as an assistant with the Sixers, Wolves and Wizards, Blair leaves NBA to join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' affiliate franchise. It was there that he landed his first head coaching job, and he even won the title there!
The player who started his playing career at Pau-Orthez in the mid-90s and won a Euroleague MVP title with Ülkersport in 2002, is back in the NBA antechamber.
With his defensive profile, Joseph Blair had made headlines during Chris Finch's first months at the helm of the Wolves. He was even promised a position as a defensive specialist in Minnesota, before joining the Wizards a few months later, where he spent the last three seasons.
At the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the coaching position had become available when Kevin Burleson joined JB Bickerstaff's staff at the Pistons. First an assistant between 2015 and 2018, Joseph Blair had only stayed one season at the head of the team affiliated with the Rockets, the time it took to win a title.
