Micah Nori

Micah Nori(/ˈmaɪkəˈnɔːri/MY-kəNOR-ee;born April 8, 1974) is an Americanbasketball coachcurrently serving as the lead assistant coach for theMinnesota Timberwolvesof theNational Basketball Association(NBA). He previously served as an assistant coach for theToronto Raptors,Sacramento Kings,Denver NuggetsandDetroit Pistons.
He garnered attention in 2023 for his "ingenious, often comic analogies" during sideline interviews at Timberwolves’ games.
Nori grew up in Middletown, Ohio, where his father coached high school football, baseball and basketball.A three-sport athlete himself in high school, Nori ended up atIndiana University, where he was captain and middle infielder of the baseball team. Injuries and a self-professed "lack of athleticism" kept him from pursuing a professional career.
After graduation, Nori earned a master's degree in sports organization atMiami Universitywhile serving as a graduate assistant on thebaseball team's coaching staff.
In 1998, Nori was considering a job as a high schoolathletic directorwhen family friend (and newly hired Raptors head coach)Butch Cartercalled and offered him a job in Toronto.He started as a coach's assistant intern before becoming an advancescout. After a brief run as the hitting coach for his alma materHoosiersin 2005, he eventually ascended to theRaptors' coaching staff as an assistant.
Nori spent four seasons with the Raptors under head coachesJay TrianoandDwane Caseybefore moving on to theSacramento Kingsin 2013. Nori had met their coach,Michael Malone, for dinner while Malone was an assistant for theGolden State Warriors. After the dinner, Nori texted him saying that when Malone got a head coaching job, he hoped to be considered for his staff.
When Malone became theNuggets' head coach in 2015, Nori joined the staff as an assistant. That year, he served as head coach of Denver'sNBA Summer Leagueteam, which included future three-time MVPNikola Jokic. The team went 3–0.
In Denver, he bonded with fellow assistantChris Finch. Finch was in charge of the team's offensive schemes, and the two honed a free-flowing style of basketball that would become his calling card in later years.
By 2018, Nori had taken a head assistant job with theDetroit Pistonsunder his former boss Casey. He served as the team's offensive coordinator.
He kept in touch with Finch, and when Finch was named head coach of theMinnesota Timberwolvesbefore the2021-22 season, he brought on Nori as his lead assistant. Nori describes his role as like abench coachin baseball: "the right-hand man with a broad array of input and oversight".
He's often seen doing strategy breakdowns and sideline interviews on Timberwolves' broadcasts, where he gained notoriety for his metaphors, like: "He makes everybody comfortable—he's like popcorn during Saturday night movies."ESPN called him a "unique coaching mind, one who ... breaks down defensive strategy in depth pre-game, with a real level of focus and clarity."
Nori coached Team Pau during the2024 All-StarRising Stars Challenge.
On April 28, 2024, Timberwolves head coachChris Finchinjured his patellar tendon after colliding with guardMike Conley Jr.with 1:41 remaining in Game 4 against thePhoenix Suns, so Nori served as the acting head coach for the remaining 1:41 of the game.
Nori and his wife Melissa have two kids,Danteand Mia. Dante, a talented baseball outfielder, was invited to play in the MLB High School All-Star Game in 2023, and plays professionally in thePhiladelphia Philliesorganization.