Sources are reporting that Chicago Bulls veteran assistant coach Del Harris will be announcing his retirement from coaching as early as today.Harris compiled a 556-457 career coaching record as head coach of three NBA teams (L.A. Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Milwaukee Bucks) over a 14-season span and made the playoffs in all but two seasons as head coach. He also served as an assistant coach with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.
Harris is a graduate of Milligan College, located in nearby Johnson City, Tennessee, where he played basketball from 1955-58. He is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I'm proud of the 50 years," Harris told the Chicago Tribune newspaper. "I didn't want to quit after 49. And though I never won that title, I don't think that's a failure. I've impacted people. I still have players I coached in high school and college who call me. That means more to me than wins."
With a coaching career spanning 50 years, Harris spent last season as an assistant under rookie head coach Vinny Del Negro with the Bulls. Harris coached the Chinese National Team in the 2004 Athens Olympics. In this decade alone, he has been voted the NBA's top assistant in three of the previous four seasons by NBA general managers.
