DETROIT — Former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams officially has a new job. Williams was introduced Tuesday as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
This will be Williams' third head coaching job. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans from 2010-15 and the Suns from 2019 through this past season.
Williams went 194-115 during his time in the Valley. He was the winningest coach in the NBA during that time.
He oversaw a resurgence for the franchise, as the Suns returned to the NBA Playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2021. They won the Western Conference Finals that year, before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the NBA Finals.
Williams also coached the Suns to a team-record 64 wins in 2022, but the past two seasons saw the Suns lose in blowout elimination games at home in the playoffs.
Williams was fired by the Suns on May 13 and agreed to 6-year, $78.5 million deal to coach the Pistons on May 31. The deal, which could reach up to $100 million with incentives, made Williams the highest-paid head coach in the NBA.
And despite being fired by the Suns, Williams holds no animosity against the franchise.
"I'll always look at that as a special place in my history as a coach and as a person," Williams said. "Before I went to Phoenix, I was viewed a certain way. That experience has allowed for me to be here (in Detroit). And for me to sit here and say that I've moved on, that's just not the case. I love those people there, I'm grateful for what they did for me and my family.
"When you get fired, it doesn't mean that it has to be contentious or there has to be silliness that goes with that," Williams continued. "I don't believe that. And yet, when somebody shows this kind of confidence in you, it gives you confidence to move forward with them in a cool way."
Williams also talked about what the days were like in between getting fired by the Suns and hired by the Pistons and revealed that his family was dealing with a tough situation during the Suns playoff run this past season.
"(Pistons General Manager) Troy (Weaver) reached out to me right away after Phoenix (fired me)," Williams said. "I had a situation personally, in my family, that needed attention. My wife found out that she had breast cancer during the playoffs."
Williams added that he pushed off taking another head coaching job because of his wife's diagnosis.
"So as we navigated all of that, and talking to Troy and telling him, 'Man, I couldn't right now because I've got to take care of my family,'" Williams said. "And then we got great news that we would find out about her situation a lot earlier than we thought we would. And out of the blue, I got a text from Troy after they had their pow-wow about me, which I thought was totally off the table. I was with my kid at a tryout. So, just all of that was on my plate, losing a job, family situation, and then being dad, traveling with my kids, and doing a few things. And then out of the blue, I get the text from Troy and then it just went quickly after that."
Williams also used his time on the podium to push for women to get tested in the hopes of detecting breast cancer early.
"We had genetic testing done and then scan after scan after scan and then we found it early," Williams said. "And that may have saved my wife's life and it can save others."
Williams also spoke about the reasons why he decided Detroit was the right place to continue his head coaching career.
"The quick answer is obviously Troy, the players, and the money," Williams said. "That's something that people don't talk about. They always say it wasn't the money. I always laugh at that. I think it's disrespectful. When somebody is that generous to pay me that kind of money, one, that should be applauded, and two, it should be talked about. All of us, as head coaches, could go coach in our hometowns, not travel as much and be home more and have less stress.
"There's a number of other things but at the end of the day this is a get to and not a got to," Williams added, using one of the phrases he made famous in Phoenix. "These jobs in the NBA as head coaches are privileges. And there's only 30 of them and so, I've always looked at it that way. We could go on and on about the blessings that go with these positions, whether it's taking over a contending team or a team that's on the rise. I don't think I've ever lost sight of the fact that I'm blessed to do what I get to do."
Williams is the 37th head coach in Pistons history.