Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has picked up the option on the contract of Head Coach Eddie Jordan, keeping him under contract through the 2009-10 season. Per team policy, financial terms of the contract were not released.
“Eddie has done an outstanding job and has been instrumental in making us a perennial playoff team, so we are pleased to reward that success by picking up the option on his contract,” said Grunfeld. “We are very excited about the upcoming season and feel that this team is ready to progress to another level under Eddie’s leadership.”
Jordan has compiled an overall record of 196-214 (.478) in five seasons as head coach of the Wizards and is currently the third-longest tenured head coach in the NBA behind Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs). He has led the team to the playoffs the last four seasons (making the Wizards the only Eastern Conference team other than Detroit to do so), compiling a 171-157 (.521) mark during that span.
“I’d like to thank (Wizards Owner) Abe Pollin and Ernie Grunfeld, my assistants and the players for their confidence in me and for putting the pieces in place for us to continue to build on what we’ve already accomplished,” said Jordan. “This team has proven it can compete at an elite level, and I have high expectations for what we can achieve moving forward.”
Jordan, a Washington DC native, was originally hired by the Wizards prior to the 2003-04 season. After his first year, he led the team to a 20-game improvement and their first playoff berth in eight seasons (as well as their first playoff series win since 1982). The team has made the playoffs each year since. Jordan represented the Wizards as the head coach of the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star Team by virtue of the team having the best record in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break. Jordan is third in total wins and total games coached among head coaches in franchise history and needs just seven wins to pass Wes Unseld and move into second place for total wins (behind Gene Shue).
