Mike Woodson

At 66 years old, Mike Woodson has this physical status:

Early life and prep career

Woodson was born in Indianapolis in 1958 as the second youngest of 12 children. His parents were losing money due to his children's poor health, and his parents were suffering from chronic illness. The family has moved several times over the 14-member family's two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes. Chester Woodson's father, Chester, was able to do two or three jobs at once: delivering pianos, organising laundromats, and mowing lawns. Chester died as a result of a heart attack when Woodson was 13 years old, with Woodson later remarking that his father "worked himself to death." The family lived in separate homes to lessen the strain on Woodson's mother, Odessa, a nurse, following Woodson's death. Woodson spent a year with his oldest sister before returning to help her, offering her half of each paycheck.

Woodson, who grew up in Indiana, was drawn to the state's Hoosier Hysteria, which aided him in his basketball career. "Every yard had courts, but no basketball hoops in the yard," He said. If you didn't have it, you had neighbors two doors down that had it. Every part of town where you could play a pickup game was available, there were parks. Played at recreation centers where you could play. It was a great way to learn your craft." He was also able to train with a large number of talented basketball players in the Indianapolis area, including professionals such as George McGinnis, Roger Brown, and Rick Mount. According to Woodson, participating in Indiana meant "you had to pass, shoot, and dribble, and play without the basketball, as well as the movement offense." It was basketball in Indiana. And Bob Knight is the one who infused a lot of the basic principles and how high school coaches taught their teams."

NBA professional career

Woodson was selected 12th overall in the 1980 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He appeared in the league from 1980 to 1991, averaging 14.0 points in 786 games. Woodson spent seven games with the New Jersey Nets (1981–84), before being traded to the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings (1981–86). Woodson alternated between starter and sixth man in five seasons with the Kings, averaged 18.2 points per game in 1982-83, with a 1983 playoff run. Frank Hanblen, the Kings assistant coach, later reflected on Woodson's: "Great guy, great teammate, gave you everything he had." Woodson was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in August 1986, the same month his mother Odessa Woodson died. He played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers (1990–91).

Red Holzman (Knicks), Larry Brown (Nets), Cotton Fitzsimmons (Kings), Gene Shue (Clippers), and Don Chaney were among Woodson's coaches and mentors during his NBA career, including Red Holzman (Knicks), Don Chaney (Clippers and Rockets).

NBA coaching career

Woodson, the Atlanta Hawks' assistant coach from 1996-1996 to 2000, and the 2001–04 Philadelphia Pistons (1996–01), as well as Chris Ford's Milwaukee Bucks (1996–97 (1996–99). Woodson spent time with the Pistons during the 2003-2004 season helping them win an NBA Championship. Woodson was known for bringing the most out of defensive players, allowing teams coached by him and Brown to limit opponents to less than 42% shooting.

Woodson returned as an assistant after two stints as head coach with the Hawks and Knicks. Woodson was hired as an assistant coach under Doc Rivers, and he would remain with the Clippers for the next four years, missing out on the playoffs in only his second season. Woodson will resign from the Clippers later this year on May 15, 2018. Woodson was hired as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks under head coach Tom Thibodeau, but he resigned as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers on September 4, 2020.

Woodson took over as a head coach of the Atlanta Hawks in 2004, an office previously held by Terry Stotts. The Hawks struggled a lot this season, compiling a 13-69 (.159) record. Woodson's Hawks improved to 26–56 (.317) and 31–52 (.366) during the two seasons, 2005–06 and 2006–07.

Woodson's team finished third in the Southeast Division in 2007-08 with a 37–45 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics, who were top-seeded in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first of three consecutive playoff appearances for Woodson and the Hawks. The Hawks defeated the Miami Heat in the first round playoffs before losing to Cleveland in the conference semifinals in 2008. The Hawks went 53-29 (.646) and defeated Milwaukee in the first round playoffs before losing 0–4 in the second round. After the loss, general manager Rick Sund announced that the team would not attempt to re-sign Woodson, whose deal came to an end on May 17, 2010.

Woodson had an overall playoff record of 11-18 (.379) with the Hawks. During Woodson's six seasons in Atlanta, the Hawks increased their win total from 13–69 in 2004–05 to 53–29 in 2009–10. Woodson's career victories are the fourth best in Hawks franchise history, behind only Richie Guerin (327), Mike Fratello (324), and Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens (310). Kenny Anderson, Al Horford, and Antoine Walker were all-stars and mentors to Hawk all-stars like Kenny Anderson, Al Horford, and Antoine Walker.

Mike Woodson was hired as an assistant coach under head coach Mike D'Antoni on August 29, 2011. Woodson was appointed interim head coach after D'Antoni's resignation on March 14, 2012. The Knicks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 121–79 in their first game as interim head coach. The 2011–12 Knicks finished 18–6 during the regular season and clinched a playoff spot for the second year in a row, this year as the sixth seed, the first clinched playoff appearance since being in 13 straight appearances from 1988 to 2001. The team's 36-31 record was the team's highest winning percentage since the 2000–01 season. The Knicks advanced to the playoffs, but the team lost to the Heat in the playoffs due in large part to injuries to Jeremy Lin, Baron Davis, and Iman Shumpert. Nevertheless, the Knicks canceled Woodson's interim employment, and he was officially named as the full-time head coach on May 25, 2012.

The 2012–13 Knicks posted an 18–5 record to begin the season, their best start since 1993. They scored at least 100 points and won by double digits in all games in their first four games. The Knicks established a 32–18 record by mid-February 2013, finishing second in the Eastern Conference by the All-Star break in mid-February 2013. For the first time since the 1993–94 NBA season, the Knicks captured the Atlantic Division championship on April 9th. The team finished the season 54-28 and set the NBA single-season record for three-pointers. The Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 4–2 in the first round of the NBA playoffs on May 3rd, their first playoff victory since 2000, but they were later eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, losing the series to the Indiana Pacers 4–2.

Woodson's 2013-14 Knicks Knicks started with a 3-13 record and never fully recovered, finishing with a record of 37–45 and missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Woodson was fired from the New York Knicks head coaching job as a whole coaching staff on April 21, 2014. Woodson ended his tenure as New York's coach with a score of 109–79 (.680). He served as a mentor and mentor to the Knick all-stars Carmelo Anthony, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Rasheed Wallace.

Indiana Hoosiers coaching career

Woodson was hired as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team on March 28, 2021. Over six years, his salary was roughly $350,000 per year as a base salary, and $2.45 million in other areas, including advertising and promotions. Woodson's deal also provides a $100,000 reward for finishing in the top three of the Big Ten rankings, as well as another $100,000 for an APR rating over 950.

Woodson coached the 2021–22 team to a 21–14 record, including a 9-11 record in Big Ten Conference play in his first year as head coach. Woodson and the Hoosiers snapped nine-game losing streak against Purdue and Michigan and advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 Big Ten men's basketball tournament, their first appearance since 2013. Indiana was chosen to compete in a 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament First Four game, which they won before losing in the first round. It was their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016.

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