Isaiah Fox
 | |
| Saskatoon Mamba | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| League | CEBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 29, 1983 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 248 lb (112 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California) |
| College | Arizona (2001–2006) |
| NBA draft | 2006: undrafted |
| Position | Power forward |
| Coaching career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 2016–2018 | South Bay Lakers (Assistant Coach) |
| 2018–2019 | Los Angeles Lakers (Player Development Coach) |
| 2019–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers (Assistant Player Development Coach) |
| 2019–2023 | Delaware Blue Coats (Assistant Coach) |
| 2023–2026 | Utah Jazz (Associate Player Development Coach) |
| 2023–2026 | Salt Lake City Stars (Associate Head Coach) |
| 2026–present | Saskatoon Mamba (Head Coach) |
Isaiah Fox (born March 29, 1983) is an American professional basketball coach, currently serving as head coach for the Saskatoon Mamba of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Fox played college basketball at the University of Arizona, under head coach Lute Olson, and later played professionally overseas. In 2016, he joined the NBA G League coaching staff, as an assistant coach with the South Bay Lakers, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers. His coaching career has included positions within the Salt Lake City Stars/Utah Jazz, Delaware Blue Coats/Philadelphia 76ers, and is a five-time NBA G League Champion.
A former McDonald’s All-America nominee, the 6-foot-9 Fox was a four-year letterwinner for the University of Arizona basketball team from 2002-06 under Olson. Fox was selected in the 2008 NBA G League Draft and his professional playing experience included stints in Australia, Mexico and Japan .
Early Life and High School
[edit]Fox was born on March 29, 1983, in Tucson, Arizona, to Michelle Fox (née Kilgore) and Nils Fox, a former offensive lineman at the University of Arizona (1983–84). Fox was born on the same day that Lute Olson was hired as head coach of the Arizona Wildcats.[1]
Fox attended Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, where he shared the court with several notable athletes, including NBA All-Star Baron Davis, a fellow Crossroads alumnus, and local friendly rival Tyson Chandler.[citation needed]
Fox was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and was named the 2001 John R. Wooden California High School Player of the Year.[2]
College Career
[edit]From 2001 to 2006, Fox played collegiate basketball for the Arizona Wildcats under Hall of Fame head coach Lute Olson. During his tenure, Fox was teammates with several future NBA players, including Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson, and Andre Iguodala;[3] contributing to multiple NCAA Tournaments.
Professional Playing Career
[edit]After going undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, Fox launched an international professional career that included playing for teams in China, Japan, and Australia.[4] In 2011, Fox joined Pioneros de Los Mochis in Mexico’s CIBACOPA league.[5]
Coaching Career
[edit]Following his retirement from professional basketball, Fox transitioned into coaching. In 2016, he began his career with the South Bay Lakers, (renamed the Coachella Valley Lakers[6]), where he served as an assistant coach and for one season as a player development coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.[7][8]
In September 2019 Fox joined the Delaware Blue Coats, NBA G League Affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, as assistant coach to Connor Johnson[9] and assistant player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2021, Sixers announced new head coach, Coby Karl.[10][11][12]
Fox helped lead the team to consecutive trips to the championship match. The Blue Coats won the 2021 Winter Showcase Championship[13], NBA G League Eastern Conference in 2021-22 and 2022-23[14], and was crowned NBA G League Showcase Cup champions in 2023[15]
In April 2023 the Blue Coats claimed the NBA G League title after beating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 114-110 in game two of the NBA G League Finals.[16] The Blue Coats first NBA G League championship in franchise history.[17]
In 2023 Fox joined Steve Wojciechowski's coaching staff as associate head coach for the Salt Lake City Stars, and associate player development coach for its affiliate the Utah Jazz.[18] The SLC 2023-2024 season coaching staff included Bret Burchard, James Mays, and Jia Perkins[19]
In the 2023-24 regular season SLC finished with a 20-14 record after winning 11 of their final 12 games (including 11 straight) to earn a spot in the G League Playoffs for the second straight season.[20] SLC reached the third round of the 2024 G League Playoffs, the deepest postseason run in team history.
In the 2024-25 regular season, under head coach Rick Higgins, SLC finished with a 21-13 record and earned the franchise's first playoff win on April 1 against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[21] SLC (1-1), fell to the Austin Spurs (1-0), 123-113, in the NBA G League Western Conference Semifinals ending the season.[22]
The Stars were crowned 2025 Winter Showcase Champions following a dominant 137-112 victory over Raptors 905[23]. The title marks the second Winter Showcase championship in franchise history, with the first coming during the inaugural tournament in 2019.[24]
In 2026, Fox was selected as a head coach for the NBA G League Next Up Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, coaching Team White.[25]
On March 5, 2026, Fox was named head coach of the Saskatoon Mamba (formerly the Saskatchewan Rattlers) of the Canadian Elite Basketball League for the 2026 season.[26][27] The appointment came ahead of the franchise's first season under the rebranded Mamba name.
In April 2026, Saskatoon announced that Greg Jockims, Rob Lovelace and Jamie Campbell would join Fox's coaching staff.[28]
In his first season as head coach, Fox led Saskatoon to a 13–11 regular-season record and a showing in the 2026 CEBL playoffs, the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2022. Saskatoon advanced to the Western Conference semifinal, where it was defeated by the Winnipeg Sea Bears, 99–88.[29]
Awards and Honors
[edit]- NBA Summer League Champion - Los Angeles Lakers (2017); NBA G League All-Star as assistant coach with South Bay Lakers - (2017)
- NBA G League Winter Showcase Champion (2021), as an assistant coach with the Delaware Blue Coats
- NBA G League Eastern Conference Champion (2022 & 2023), as an assistant coach with the Delaware Blue Coats
- NBA G League Winter Showcase champion (2025), as a member of the Salt Lake City Stars coaching staff
- NBA G League Next Up Game head coach, Team White (2026)
- Crossroads Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of 2022[30]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Isaiah Fox Profile - ARIZONAWILDCATS.COM - The University of Arizona Wildcats Official Athletic Site". University of Arizona Athletics. April 18, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "John R. Wooden California High School POY Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Former Arizona Wildcat Isaiah Fox is thriving in the Lakers Organization". Zona Zealots. January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Isaiah Fox, Basketball Player, News, Stats - latinbasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Isaiah Fox, Basketball Player, News, Stats - latinbasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ Coachella Valley Lakers Staff (April 30, 2026). "Los Angeles Lakers Move NBA G League Team to Coachella Valley". NBA G League.
- ↑ "SLC Stars Finalize 2023-24 Coaching Staff". OurSports Central. September 20, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Former Arizona Wildcat Isaiah Fox is thriving in the Lakers Organization". Zona Zealots. January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ Writer, Staff (October 22, 2019). "Delaware Blue Coats Announce Additions To Staff". First State Update. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Sixers announce coaching changes, including Coby Karl as Blue Coats head coach". NBC Sports Philadelphia. September 28, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Coby Karl Named Head Coach of the Delaware Blue Coats". OurSports Central. September 28, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ↑ "76ers Announce New Members of Coaching Staff | Philadelphia Sixers". www.nba.com. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "2021 Winter Showcase Day 4 Recap: No. 1 Blue Coats Win Championship!". The NBA G League. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- ↑ "FINALS BOUND: BLUE COATS WIN EASTERN CONFERENCE TITLE". Delaware Blue Coats. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Delaware Blue Coats Win 2022-23 NBA G League Championship". The NBA G League. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ Juarez, Ruben (April 7, 2023). "Blue Coats Beat Vipers 114-110 as Delaware Wins G League Title". valleycentral.com.
- ↑ "Delaware Blue Coats Victory Celebration April 10". OurSports Central. April 10, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ Anderson, Ben (September 21, 2023). "Jia Perkins Joins SLC Stars Staff". KSL Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "SLC Stars Finalize 2023-24 Coaching Staff". OurSports Central. September 20, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Three Salt Lake City Stars Players Receive All-NBA G League Honors". OurSports Central. April 19, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Two Salt Lake City Stars Players Receive All-NBA G League Honors". OurSports Central. April 17, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Stars Season Ends with Semifinals Loss to Austin Spurs". OurSports Central. April 4, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ↑ ESPN Generative AI Services (January 22, 2026). "Salt Lake City Stars overwhelm Raptors 905 to claim G League Winter Showcase title". ESPN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Stars Crowned Winter Showcase Champions with Statement Win Over 905". Salt Lake City Stars. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ↑ "NBA G League Next Up Game presented by AT&T". The NBA G League. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Canadian Elite Basketball League Re-Introduces Saskatoon Mamba Franchise". CEBL - Canadian Elite Basketball League. February 4, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Castellanos Feijoó, Karina (March 5, 2026). "SASKATOON MAMBA ANNOUNCE NBA G LEAGUE CHAMPION ISAIAH FOX AS TEAM'S HEAD COACH FOR THE 2026 SEASON". Saskatoon Mamba.
- ↑ "Saskatoon Mamba Announce Key Coaching Additions for 2026 Season". Canadian Elite Basketball League. April 16, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Hirschfield, Kevin (August 7, 2026). "Balanced offensive effort leads Winnipeg Sea Bears to first playoff win in franchise history". Global News. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Athletics Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2022". Crossroads School. November 1, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2026.