Mike D'Antoni won't return as Nets assistant coach

Mike D'Antoni is leaving Brooklyn Nets, forcing Steve Nash to make another change on his coaching staff.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Mike D'Antony has long been regarded as one of the NBA's best offensive coaches and helped the Nets reach the second round of the playoffs.

Mike D'Antoni is leaving Brooklyn Nets, forcing Steve Nash to make another change on his coaching staff.

Nash announced the 70-year-old D'Antoni's decision in a statement on Wednesday, saying having the two-time Coach of the Year was “invaluable” in his first season as a coach.

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D'Antoni won the 2005 Coach of the Year award in Phoenix when Nash was his point guard, then another in Houston in 2017. He has long been regarded as one of the NBA's best offensive coaches and helped the Nets reach the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to eventual champion Milwaukee in seven games.

The Nets already lost one assistant this off-season when Ime Udoka left to become Boston Celtics coach. David Vanterpool was hired to replace him.