Tim Grgurich

A native of Pittsburgh, Tim Grgurich dedicated more than 50 years to the sport of basketball and developing players on both the collegiate and professional level, serving as both a head coach and long-time assistant coach.  
 
He served as the head coach twice in his career, first at the University of Pittsburgh prior to heading to UNLV as an assistant and later returning to the Runnin’ Rebels for a short stint in 1994.
 
After moving to Las Vegas in August of 1980, Grgurich served as an assistant to Jerry Tarkanian from 1981 to 1992, he helped usher in the golden age of the aforementioned Runnin’ Rebel basketball program, including the 1990 National Championship.
 
Grgurich later joined the Seattle SuperSonics in 1992, bringing his work ethic, no-nonsense approach and wealth of coaching techniques to the NBA. Among the many players and coaches he helped during his career – men who still swear by his know-how and approach – include Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Scottie Pippen, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, Bill Cartwright, Terry Stotts, Steve Kerr and Bob Weiss, among others. 
 
Former long-time head coach George Karl hired Grgurich as a member of his staff multiple times, including twice in Seattle and later in Denver and Milwaukee. Karl once wrote that “The workaholic GRG always preferred to be working out a player or working out himself. His intensity made players trust him and they confided in him, too. A great assistant coach.”
 
In 2018, Grgurich was the recipient of the Tex Winter Assistant Lifetime Impact Award, which recognizes the body of work as a coach who has impacted the chemistry, culture and competitive capability of their respective teams.
 
Grgurich is a member of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame and the Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame. 
 
He operated under the mantra of “If you can’t teach, you can’t coach.” With that philosophy, Grgurich will be forever known as one of the greatest and most impactful assistant coaches in the history of NBA basketball.