Justin Tatum has signed on as the Illawarra Hawks' permanent coach.
The 44-year-old has inked a three-year deal after a stunning turnaround this NBL season following his appointment as interim coach.
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Justin Tatum signs permanent head coach contract with Hawks
Tatum initially joined the Hawks' coaching staff for the 2023-24 season as a "player development and assistant coaching capacity".
After a 2-7 start to the campaign, the team parted ways with Jacob Jackomas and promoted Tatum to an interim head coach role.
From that point on, Illawarra went 12-7 and finished fourth on the NBL ladder, earning themselves a play-in berth.
Tatum will now remain in the Illawarra until at least the 2026-27 NBL season.
The final year of the deal contains a mutual option, according to ESPN.
"I am grateful to the team, my assistant coaches and the management team at the Illawarra Hawks who have trusted in me since I took over in November. It’s a testament to the guys who stayed locked in," Tatum said.
"We have some strong momentum now that we will carry into the Finals, and I am just happy that all the people of the Illawarra will have the opportunity to support their team in a [Finals Series].
"I’ve grown to love this place in a very short space of time. The whole team is so proud to represent this region, and we want to continue to bring the winning feeling back to the Illawarra."
Tatum finished second in the recent NBL Coach of the Year voting, just behind Melbourne United's Dean Vickerman.
Who is Justin Tatum?
Justin Tatum is the father of Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Justin played basketball at Christian Brothers College High School with former NBA player Larry Hughes, who is the godfather of Jayson Tatum. Justin went to play college basketball at Saint Louis University. In 85 games (28 starts), he averaged 8.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
Justin earned a Conference USA First Team All Defense selection during his time at Saint Louis.
Justin played professionally in the Netherlands after graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.
He stopped playing basketball to spend more time with his son. Jayson was around seven years old when Justin first went overseas.
He then made the jump to coaching, starting as an assistant at Christian Brothers College before later becoming the school's head coach.
