What "lit the fire" under Jason Terry to become a head coach? Inside his road to Grand Rapids

Jason Terry played 19 NBA seasons for 12 different NBA head coaches. But none influenced him more than Avery Johnson, Terry’s coach for four of the eight seasons he spent with the Dallas Mavericks from 2004-2012.

“There will be a couple times in the locker room where guys will hear that old Avery Johnson accent come out,” Terry said Tuesday as he was introduced as the new head coach of the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. “A lot of him you will see in me. One thing about Avery was he was hard, but he was fair. He respects the fact that if you put the work in you will get the results. I took that from him and I will continue to inspire the next generation of hoopers.”

When Terry was traded from the Hawks to the Mavs in 2004, Johnson, who started out that season as an assistant but later succeeded Donn Nelson as Dallas’ head coach, took the shooting guard under his wing. Like Terry has, Johnson was transitioning from a 16-year playing career into a coaching role over the last few years. The two bonded over late-night film sessions and 1-on-1 workouts.

That’s the type of head coach that Terry wants to be with the Gold. He has no desire to be a figurehead who sits on the sideline and lets his assistants manage the day-to-day grind. Terry wants to be the type of hands-on coach that breaks down film with his players. If someone on his roster wants to meet at the gym for a late-night, impromptu shooting session, Terry wants to rebound.

Terry also wants to be a sounding board for his players when it comes to all aspects of life, much like Johnson was for him.

“That’s what lit the fire for me to become a coach,” Terry said. “I’ve seen the way he and I’s relationship was, and I saw how much of an influence he was on me. Not just as a player. As a husband and as a father.”

Terry has a lot of experience in all three of those areas. He played in the NBA for 19 seasons, won an NBA Championship with the Mavs in 2011, and was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2009. Before turning pro, Terry was an NCAA Champion at the University of Arizona. Terry and his wife Johnyika also have five daughters.

Terry’s daughters were the ones who gave him his first head coaching experience. For the last 15 years, Terry has coached their AAU basketball teams during the NBA offseason and every summer drives a packed minivan of 15 and 16-year-old girls around the country to tournaments and showcases. Terry is CEO of the Lady Jets basketball club based out of Dallas, Texas.

The no-thrills life of summer AAU basketball has prepared him for what’s coming in the G League.

“It’s a grind when you’re talking about traveling across the country,” said Terry. “There are no first-class seats. There are no charter flights. It’s you and some young kids and dreams. I’m ready. I’m ready for the grind.”

Terry also knew he was ready for the task at hand and the full-time move to the G League after meeting with Nuggets officials over dinner in Las Vegas earlier this month at Summer League. It was far from a typical job interview. Terry already had a preexisting relationship with Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth after the two were teammates while with the Mavericks. Terry also knew Nuggets president Tim Connelly in passing. He met with Nuggets manager of player personnel Scott Howard too, who has already moved into a new role with the Gold as the team’s new General Manager.

“This was no ordinary interview. This was more of a conversation about ball, life, about  experiences and it just took a turn for the best,” said Terry. “Halfway through the conversation they’re like, ‘You know, we’ve got a spot open. We’ve got a new G League team, the Grand Rapids Gold. We want great leadership. We want a guy who aspires to be more than just a G League coach. We want to push him on to the next level.’ The conversation was great.”

Terry always knew deep down he wanted to be a head coach one day, and after spending last year as an assistant at his alma mater wanted a new challenge. He has chased coaching and other G League opportunities in the past and spent the 2019-20 season with the G League’s Texas Legends as the Assistant General Manager. But this opportunity, in particular, just felt like the right fit. Terry’s currently assembling a diverse staff of coaches who have experience at all different levels. He wants every one of his assistants to have head coaching aspirations.

With Terry at the helm, the Gold will be fully aligned with their parent club in Denver. Sure, Terry will install his own coaching wrinkles, but Grand Rapids will largely implement Michael Malone’s system. Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland along with second-year guard Markus Howard are expected to spend time with the Gold this coming season, and landing a coach with NBA experience who could help mold their games was part of the equation when hiring Terry, a source told DNVR. Terry was an undersized guard who was able to carve out a 19-year NBA. He’ll be an invaluable resource for both players and the rest of the Gold’s G League roster.

I asked Terry Tuesday what his message would be to a first-round draft pick who’s slated to spend time in the G League during his rookie year.

“Enjoy every moment, live in the moment, and work extremely hard,” Terry said. “You’ve gotten to this point because you have a unique ability, a skill-set, a god-given talent. But that talent alone is not going to get you to where you want to be. You have to work. If you take that worker’s-type mentality and be a sponge and soak up the knowledge you have around you, you can carve out a long, long career.”

Terry badly wants to win and that includes G League championships in Grand Rapids. He has won a championship at every level that he’s played at, in high school, college and the NBA. Most of all, this self-proclaimed basketball lifer wants to help the players he coaches further both their basketball careers and lives.

“These guys have their own journey to embark on,” Terry said. “I’ll give them some tips. I’ll give them the answers to the test, but they’re still going to have to take the test and go through it.”

“Coaching is one thing, but impacting the lives of others who aspire to be great is something I pride myself in and is something that is my purpose in life.”