Trevor Gleeson's dreams of coaching in the NBA have become a reality after landing an assistant role with the Toronto Raptors, the 2019 champions.
Gleeson made a shock departure from the Perth Wildcats last month, shortly after their 3-0 grand final loss to Melbourne United.
The five-time NBL championship-winning coach said at the time that the chance to coach in the NBA was simply too good to pass up, and that the details of his move would soon be made public.
On Tuesday, the Raptors revealed that Gleeson, Nathaniel Mitchell and Earl Watson had been added to head coach Nick Nurse's staff.
"This staff brings different coaching backgrounds to our team, and I think that's really important," Nurse said.
"There's a diversity of thought, there's a bunch of varying opinions, and that leads to creativity on the court and off.
"I think that's going to serve the Raptors really well and we're looking forward to getting out on the court together with our team."
The Raptors will be aiming to bounce back next season after posting a disappointing 27-45 record during the 2020-21 campaign.
The Wildcats are still on the lookout for a new head coach.
Last month, Perth added former Cairns Taipans coach Mike Kelly to their coaching staff for the next two seasons.
The Wildcats also have a new owner after Jack Bendat sold the club to Craig Hutchison's Sports Entertainment Group for $8.5 million.
