The Houston Rockets on Tuesday named Mahmoud Abdelfattah as the new head coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Vipers are the franchise’s official G-League affiliate.
With the promotion, Abdelfattah becomes the first Muslim and Palestinian head coach in NBA/G-League history, making it a historic hire for the Houston organization.
Last season, Abdelfattah served as an assistant coach during the Vipers’ G-League championship run in 2019. He will be taking the reins from former head coach Joseph Blair, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers‘ coaching staff in June.
With a little over a month before their regular season opener on Nov. 8, Abdelfattah should have another strong roster as he seeks to lead Houston’s affiliate back to the G-League Finals.
In 2019, the Vipers finished the season tied for a league best record of 34-16, which ended with the club defending the Long Island Nets 2-1 in the championship series.
The Rockets also promoted Travis Stockbridge to the Vipers’ general manager (GM) position after serving as director of basketball operations last season. At 25 years old, Stockbridge will be the youngest GM in G-League history.
