Atlanta Dream coach Edniesha Curry participated in the Coaching Development Program in 2017 at the NBA Draft Combine.
Playing professional basketball is one of the hardest career paths around.
At any given time, there are only about 450 NBA players and roughly 200 WNBA players, with countless others fighting for the same opportunity. The margins are razor-thin and reaching that level demands years of relentless dedication.
When so much of your life is devoted to the game, there often aren’t many obvious paths when you’re done playing. Fortunately, many of the skills that make great players also translate to coaching. That’s where the NBA Coaching Development Program comes in.
Building the next generation of coaches
Launched in 1988 as the NBA Assistant Coaches Program before being renamed in 2022, the initiative was created to help former players transition into coaching while strengthening the pipeline of coaching talent across the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League. The eight-month immersive program provides current and retired players with hands-on coaching experience, technical training and professional development opportunities designed to prepare them for coaching careers at the highest levels of basketball.
Participants receive instruction in scouting software, video editing, analytics and player evaluation tools used throughout collegiate and professional basketball, including Synergy, SportsCode and FastModel, while also learning how to develop scouting reports and implement individual and team skill-development drills. In addition, the program offers networking opportunities, communication training, resume workshops and mock interviews, along with on-court experience at marquee basketball events such as Basketball Without Borders All-Star Camp, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, NBA G League Combine and the NBA Draft Combine.
According to NBA Director of Player Engagement Erjaam Hayes, the program initially centered on events, giving former players opportunities to gain hands-on coaching experience at tournaments and showcases. Around 2016, however, the initiative evolved into a more comprehensive development program.
“We shifted to a structured program that was about more than just events, but what it means to be a coach at the highest levels of basketball,” Hayes said. “The program was created to provide a pathway for players to develop and to strengthen the pipeline of qualified coaching candidates by utilizing our former players.”
Inside the program’s evolution
One of the program’s biggest changes was the incorporation of advanced technology and scouting software into the curriculum, along with a greater emphasis on professional development and career preparedness.
“A lot of times, players’ agents are the ones helping them find new opportunities,” Hayes explained. “For the first time in their lives, they’re having to sell themselves for positions, so we spend a lot of time helping them learn how to advocate for themselves.” He points to a specific exercise they did in Chicago where a presenter helped participants practice elevator pitches.
Another key component of the CDP is its mentorship element, led by former professional player and current Atlanta Dream coach Edniesha Curry. A graduate of the program herself, Curry gives participants firsthand insight into the transition from player to coach.
“I don’t think I would’ve had the opportunity to coach at the professional level without the program,” Curry said. “The X’s and O’s training, networking, and on-court coaching opportunities were all extremely important to my growth.”
Curry first participated in the program in 2017 and made such a strong impression that she was later invited back to serve as a lead mentor. Today, her focus is on helping former players navigate the next stage of their basketball careers.
“My role now is to prepare former players to become coaches,” Curry explained. “That includes teaching them how to build scouting reports, create player development plans, and use the technology needed to succeed at the collegiate or professional level in both men’s and women’s basketball.”
Beyond the technical side of coaching, Curry emphasizes the value of the relationships built through the program.
“I always tell people success doesn’t happen alone,” Curry said. “Without the bonds we’ve built through the CDP, a lot of these opportunities wouldn’t happen. I still get texts from candidates from nine years ago asking for help with projects or preparing for job interviews.”
Learning through experience
Former Chicago Bulls guard and UConn Huskies men’s basketball standout Khalid El-Amin, a current CDP participant, recently attended a program summit in Chicago. “It was a dream come true,” El-Amin said of the experience. “Being on the court with that level of talent, putting players through workouts, and having them evaluated by GMs was incredible. It didn’t feel like work at all.”
Former Chicago Bulls guard and UConn standout Khalid El-Amin coaching at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine.
For El-Amin, coaching always felt like the natural next step. A self-described student of the game, he said mentoring others was something he gravitated toward even during his playing career.
“Even when I was playing, it was always my character to help people and make others better,” he said.
That mindset made joining the CDP an easy decision. While El-Amin believes former players already have a strong understanding of the game itself, he said the program helps develop the technical and organizational skills required to coach at a high level.
“As a player, the on-court stuff comes naturally,” El-Amin explained. “But as a coach, you have to create player development plans, build scouting reports, and learn different software and technology.”
According to El-Amin, one of the biggest strengths of the program is the opportunity to gain real coaching reps in high-pressure environments. One example was the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which features 64 of the top graduating college seniors in the country. CDP participants were given the opportunity to coach during the event, an experience El-Amin described as a “lightbulb moment.”
“You have one 50-minute practice to prepare for three games against the top seniors in the country, and as soon as one game ends, you’re immediately scouting the next opponent,” El-Amin recalled. “That kind of pressure forces you to perform. But it was good pressure. I felt like I grew a lot during that week.”
Impact on all levels of basketball
While many former players enter coaching with dreams of becoming a head coach, the CDP emphasizes that there are countless ways to make an impact on a basketball staff beyond the top job.
“Realistically, you’re probably not going to start as a head coach,” Khalid El-Amin said. “That’s why the networking and collaboration within the program are so important. It sharpens your skills and teaches you how to work as part of a staff.”
According to Curry, that versatility is exactly what makes the program so valuable.
“I think it’s important for people to understand that the CDP prepares you to succeed not just on the court, but also behind the bench and in the front office,” Curry said. “You can see that in the number of candidates we’ve placed in the NBA, WNBA, college basketball and the G League.”
For Curry, the value former players bring to organizations is undeniable. “Everyone in a leadership position should hire former players,” she added. “And the first place they should look is the NBA Coaches Development Program, because these candidates are prepared, motivated and ready to help organizations grow.”
During the 2025-26 season, there are over 35 program alumni on coaching staffs across the NBA and NBA G League, with notable alumni including Jerry Stackhouse (Golden State Warriors), Vin Baker (Milwaukee Bucks), Mery Andrade (Toronto Raptors) and Beno Udrih (Head Coach of Wisconsin Herd).
