Jama Mahlalela named new head coach of Raptors' G League team
Toronto resident had previously been assistant with NBA team for 5 seasons
The Toronto Raptors have named Jama Mahlalela as head coach of their NBA G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
Mahlalela becomes the third head coach in team history and joins the club following five seasons as an assistant coach at the NBA level.
A native of Mbabane, Swaziland, Mahlalela grew up in the Toronto area and played college basketball for five years at the University of British Columbia.
"We are very excited to add Jama as our new head coach," Raptors 905 general manager Dan Tolzman said in a statement. "After proving himself as an assistant on the Raptors staff, having an opportunity to run his own team is a major step in his development as a coach.
Joined Raptors in 2011
"Jama has played a big part in developing our young Raptors core, and we look forward to him continuing to do so from the Raptors 905 sideline. He is an example of what homegrown talent can achieve in this growing global game."
Mahlalela joined the Raptors front office in 2011 as director of player development, where he served for two seasons. He moved to the Raptors bench in 2013-14.
During the summers Mahlalela has been an active member in Raptors GM Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa camps and the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program.
"I am excited and grateful for the wonderful opportunity to coach the Raptors 905 team," Mahlalela said in a release. "I am eager to share my passion for the development of this sport with our young players and hope to use my previous experience as a Raptors assistant coach to reinforce and strengthen the connection between the two programs.
Mahlalela takes over for Jerry Stackhouse, who joined the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant coach. Raptors 905 made the G League finals in both of Stackhouse's seasons behind the bench and won the title in 2017.