The Dallas Mavericks may be doubling down on their continued commitment to Kyrie Irving.
Houston Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey is a candidate to become the next head coach of the Mavericks, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported on Tuesday. Stein also mentioned Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori and ex-Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts as other potential options for Dallas.
The 44-year-old Ivey is a former NBA point guard who played in the league from 2004-13. He then went into coaching and now has a full decade of experience as an NBA assistant.
Ivey has also done a standout job of coaching South Sudan’s national team. First signing on as South Sudan’s head coach in 2021, Ivey led the burgeoning nation to qualification for both the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics (where they very nearly pulled off a stunning upset win over Team USA).
On top of that, Ivey has a strong link to the current Mavs star point guard Irving. Ivey used to be an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets and coached Irving there from 2020-23.
The nine-time All-Star Irving, 34, missed all of this season while recovering from a March 2025 ACL tear. Despite recent links to some interesting teams, the Mavericks are not making Irving available and could now even hire his former coach Ivey to succeed Jason Kidd.
