Fabulous Flournoy

Fabulous Flournoy MBE (born 31 July 1973) is a former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] He was previously the player-coach for the Newcastle Eagles, who compete in the British Basketball League.[2]

Fabulous Flournoy
MBE
Flournoy in 2011
Philadelphia 76ers
PositionAssistant Coach / Player Development
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1973-07-31) 31 July 1973
New York City, New York, United States
NationalityBritish
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Career information
College
NBA draft1995: undrafted
Playing career1996–2019
Coaching career2003–present
Career history
As player:
1996–2000Birmingham Bullets
2000–2001Sheffield Sharks
2001–2019Newcastle Eagles
As coach:
2003–2019Newcastle Eagles
2019–2023Toronto Raptors (Assistant Video Coordinator / Player Development)
2023–presentPhiladelphia 76ers (Assistant)

He is the all time leader in the BBL in assists, steals and blocked shots as well as 2nd all time in rebounding and 5x BBL coach of the year. His 25 trophies remain a record for a coach in the league.

Playing career

Early life and college career

Born in New York City, New York, the 6'3" shooting guard/small forward, noted for his tenacious defence and very high standards, attended NJCAA Division 1 college Panola Junior College and was a student at NCAA Division 1 college McNeese State University.

British Basketball League

After finishing college in 1996, Flournoy signed for British Basketball League team the Birmingham Bullets, making his debut against the Greater London Leopards on 15 September 1996. In his first season alone he clocked up 780 minutes averaging 8.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. Although his minutes were marginally shaved the following season, Flournoy still featured in all of the Bullets' 36 games, while helping his team to runners-up spot in the Championship and success in the Play-offs, beating London Towers in the final.

The following two seasons saw his appearances drop, featuring in only 23 games in the 1999–2000 season, although he still featured in the Play-off final against Manchester Giants where he posted 12 points in the Bullets' 65–74 loss. At the end of the season Flournoy signed for rival franchise Sheffield Sharks where he spent one year, playing in 34 games. With Flournoy's help, the Sharks won the BBL Northern Conference and again for Flournoy, finished as runners-up in the post-season Play-off's, this time losing 75–84 to the Leicester Riders.

Flournoy moved again in 2001 when he signed for the Newcastle Eagles.[3] After two mediocre seasons, he achieved two career-high records in the 2003–04 season, where he played 1258 minutes with a 10.75 PPG average.

As a player-coach

This was also the season when his career took a different turn accepting the role of head coach of the Eagles, while still a player, leading the team to a 6th-place finish and a Quarter-final Play-off exit with a 94–96 defeat to the Towers.

Not disheartened however, Flournoy returned the following year and was successful with previous mid-tablers Newcastle. Clocking up 1018 minutes, 6.92 PPG and 4.95 RPG in the 2004–05 season, Flournoy had a less than outstanding season on court. However, off court he led the Eagles to victories in both the Play-offs and the BBL Trophy, while finishing as runners-up to the Chester Jets in the Championship, and won the BBL Coach of the Season award.

The 2005–06 season would prove to be even more remarkable for Fab, averaging 8.80 PPG and picking up 1121 minutes of action while leading the Eagles to the "Clean Sweep" of victories in the BBL Cup, Trophy, Championship and Play-offs, a feat repeated in 2011 and 2015.

International career

A naturalised UK citizen, Flournoy won a bronze medal with the England national team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He earned 16 caps in total for England.

Awards and honours

Flournoy was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to British basketball and the community in the North East.[4]

Post-playing career

He has also served as a colour commentator for BBC Radio, including at the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2019, Flournoy was hired as an assistant video coordinator by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.[5] The move reunited Flournoy with his former coach, Nick Nurse. Nurse was responsible for signing Flournoy to his first professional contract as a player for the Birmingham Bullets in 1996.

On September 5, 2023, Flournoy became an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.[6]

References
  1. "Management". Toronto Raptors. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. "What a Fabulous team". Evening Chronicle. 2 May 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  3. "Newcastle Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy to miss rest of season". 24 March 2015.
  4. "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N18.
  5. "Toronto Raptors make several coaching additions and changes to Nick Nurse's staff". NBA.com Canada | The official site of the NBA. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  6. "2023-24 Coaching Staff Announced". NBA.com. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
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