Scott Skiles life and biography

Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with thirty. In 1990–91 he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

Scott Skiles became the 11th head coach in the history of the Milwaukee Bucks on April 21, 2008. The veteran of nine head coaching seasons guided the Bucks to the fifth-largest win increase in 2008-09 with the Bucks tallying eight more victories compared to 2007-08, finishing 34-52. He also posted the 300th win of his career on January 12, 2009 at Washington.

Career history:
As player:

Milwaukee Bucks (1986–1987)
Indiana Pacers (1987–1989)
Orlando Magic (1989–1994)
Washington Bullets (1994–1995)
Philadelphia 76ers (1995–1996)
PAOK (Greece) (1996–1997)

As coach:

PAOK (Greece) (1996–1997)
Phoenix Suns (1999–2002)
Chicago Bulls (2003–2007)
Milwaukee Bucks (2008–present)


Skiles, 45, has amassed an overall record of 315-299 (.513) as an NBA head coach, which also includes stints with the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. He was hired as head coach of the Bulls on November 28, 2003, and inherited a 4-12 team. Following that season, he went on to guide the team to three consecutive seasons of better than 40 wins (45.7 average) and three postseason appearances, which followed a six-year playoff drought for Chicago. The Bulls won 49 games in 2006- 07, their most since going 62-20 in '97-98, and swept the defending NBA champion Miami Heat in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs.

The Plymouth, Indiana native received his first NBA head coaching assignment with the Phoenix Suns in 1999 when Danny Ainge resigned 20 games into the 1999-00 season. Skiles guided the Suns to a 40-22 mark the remainder of the year and his squad went on to upset the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2000 NBA playoffs. The following year, he guided the Suns to a 51-31 record and again made the postseason. In his eight seasons with the Suns and Bulls, Skiles has coached in five NBA postseasons (35 games, 15-20 record). He was originally hired as an assistant coach to Danny Ainge in Phoenix, a post he held for two-plus seasons. Prior to that he served as the head coach of PAOK in Greece. Overall he has coached in professional basketball for 12 seasons, 11 in the NBA as a head coach or assistant coach and one season in Greece.

Skiles enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career and appeared in 600 career games (371 starts) with Milwaukee, Indiana, Orlando, Washington and Philadelphia. He was drafted by the Bucks in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1986 NBA Draft and played 13 games in Milwaukee during his rookie season. He maintained career averages of 11.1 points, 6.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds over those 10 seasons. He set an NBA single-game record (that still stands) when he passed for 30 assists on December 30, 1990 while with Orlando, and his 88.9 career free throw percentage is the 6th-best in NBA history. He was named the NBA's Most Improved player following the 1990-91 campaign when he averaged a career-best 17.2 points and 8.4 assists with the Orlando Magic. The former Spartan was an All-American at Michigan State University under Jud Heathcote. He left as the MSU’s all-time leading scorer when he graduated in 1986 (2,145 points, currently ranked 3rd) and had his number 4 jersey retired and was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in September of 2007.

PERSONAL:

Skiles had his number 22 jersey retired at Plymouth High School (Indiana) in 1992. As a senior, he scored 39 points in the state finals to lead Plymouth to the Indiana State Championship in 1982. Scott is married to his wife, Kim. He has two sons, Scott, Jr. and Sean, and one daughter, Shelby.

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