Vinny Del Negro
Position(s)	Guard
Jersey #(s)	8, 15
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	189 lb (86 kg)
Born	August 9, 1966 (1966-08-09) (age 43) Springfield, Massachusetts
Career information
Year(s)	1988–2002
NBA Draft	1988 / Round: 2 / Pick: 4 Selected by Sacramento Kings
College	North Carolina State
Professional team(s)
Sacramento Kings (1989–1990) Benetton Treviso (1990–1992) San Antonio Spurs (1992–1998) Teamsystem Bologna (1999) Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2000) Golden State Warriors (2000–2001) Phoenix Suns (2001)
Career stats
Points	7,038
Rebounds	1,810
Assists	2,484
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Career highlights and awards
None
Coaching
Chicago Bulls (2008–present)

Vincent "Vinny" Joseph Del Negro (born August 9, 1966 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is a retired Italian American basketball player and current head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls.^[1]

[edit] Early Life

Vinny was born on August 9, 1966 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His dad Vin was a two time junior college All American. Vin taught his son how to play basketball at a young age. Vinny made the varsity basketball team during his freshman year at Cathedral High School. He caught the attention of the basketball coach at Suffield Academy. He agreed to attend Suffield Academy, so that he could play basketball for them. Vinny led Suffield Academy to two New England championshipships. He scored 1,116 points, becoming Suffield Academy's all-time leading scorer. ^[2]

[edit] Playing Career

Del Negro played for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State University. As a senior, he was selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team after averaging 15.9 points, 3.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. That same senior season, Del Negro led the Wolfpack to the 1987 ACC Tournament championship and was named tournament MVP.

Del Negro was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 29th pick in the 1988 NBA Draft. He would play two seasons there before leaving for Italy and Benetton Treviso for another 2 years (he won the Italian championship in 1992 with over 25 points per game).

Upon his return to the NBA, Del Negro played for the San Antonio Spurs for the next 6 years. In early 1999 he played 4 games in Italy for Teamsystem Bologna, before signing with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons. Del Negro was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a three-team deal that also involved the Cleveland Cavaliers in June 2000. In January 2001 he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and was also traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team deal with the Orlando Magic in November, although he would never play for them, and subsequently retired.

Del Negro's career statistics included 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting 47.5% from the field and 84.0% from the free-throw line.

[edit] Coaching Career

Del Negro worked as a radio commentator for the Phoenix Suns before being promoted to director of player personnel for the Suns in 2006.^[3] In 2007, the Suns promoted him to the position of assistant general manager.^[4]

On June 9, 2008, multiple media reports indicated Del Negro had agreed to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls, making it his first coaching assignment. He became the favorite for the job after former Bulls' coach Doug Collins pulled his name from consideration.^[5]

Two days later, Del Negro was officially introduced as the new head coach of the Bulls, replacing Jim Boylan and being the 17th head coach in Bulls' history.

Vinny finished his first season as head coach of the Chicago Bulls with a 41-41 record, which was good enough for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls played a memorable 7 game series against the favored Boston Celtics, featuring a record seven overtimes, before losing in Game 7.

[edit] Personal

Del Negro is of Italian ancestry. His father, Vince, played basketball at the University of Kentucky under legendary coach Adolph Rupp.^[6]

[edit] Coaching record

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NBA.com profile
• Stats at basketballreference.com