Five things you should know about our new coach
The Tribune's Logan Savory has gone down an online rabbit hole trying to find out a bit more about new Southland Sharks coach Jonathan Yim, and what he discovered is both intriguing and exciting.
The Tribune's Logan Savory has gone down an online rabbit hole trying to find out a bit more about new Southland Sharks coach Jonathan Yim. What he’s discovered is both intriguing and exciting. Here are five things Sharks fans should know.
NBA involvement…
Yim is a fourth-generation Korean American who started out coaching high school basketball in California.
In 2011 he joined the LA Clippers as a video intern before landing a job with the Portland Trailblazers as its head video coordinator in 2012 and end up working for the NBA organisation for nine years.
Yim moved into a Player Development position and filled in as an assistant coach with the Trailblazers.
He then took on assistant coaching jobs with G-League teams the South Bay Lakers and Greensboro Swarm who were affiliated to NBA organisations the LA Lakers and Charlote Hornets respectively.
The car crash…
In 2019 Yim was involved in a serious car crash.
Media reported Yim and family went on a day trip on a sunny day during one of Yim’s rare days off.
But on the way back from the excursion it went terribly wrong.
The sun caught Yim in his eyes, temporarily blinding him as he was driving. He lost control of his vehicle. It slammed into the back of a truck.
He and his family were seriously injured family.
Portland Fire & Rescue had to free Yim and his family from the SUV and rush them to hospital.
Yim required two surgeries after suffering a broken femur, fractured neck, fractured hand, collapsed lung, laceration on his scalp and concussion. His mother and sister underwent emergency surgery for stomach bowel issues and his brother-in-law suffered a concussion and a dislocated hip.
Portland Trail Blazers tributes…
The Portland Trailblazers, who Yim worked for at the time, were involved in the NBA playoffs when the accident happened.
Days after the accident the Blazers defeated the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference semifinal and dedicated the win to Yim.
“It was for Jon Yim,” Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
Star Trail Blazers player Moe Harkless said: “We all wish he was here. We’re all praying for him and we feel him. He’s a big part of our team, still, and we’ll see him when we get home.”
Damian Lillard - another star Portland player - said: “I’m just happy to still have him here. After seeing what his car looked like, it could have been much worse. I’m happy that they’re all safe. They have a lot of injuries, but they’re OK.”
It’s obvious Yim was well respected during his time with the Portland Trailblazers.
Hard-working reputation…
The Southland Sharks have been told they are getting an extremely hard-working new head coach and everything you can find online points to just that.
Media reports from America say when Portland Trail Blazers players randomly stopped by the practice facility for a late-night shooting session, they inevitably ran into Yim, who always seems to be there working.
He was in charge of breaking down individual and team video for scouting and scheming, a duty that required long and odd hours, and he also put players through individual workouts before games and practices.
His inspirational video montages at team meetings and before games were said to be legendary.
“He gets us pumped up,” Trail Blazers player Rodney Hood said.
“His energy is really contagious every single day. He never has a bad day.”
Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts has also spoken glowingly of Yim’s work ethic.
“The secret to his success is there isn’t anything he is not willing to do. He is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. He is such a team guy,” Stotts said.
The Ironman…
Outside of his basketball coaching duties, it appears Yim has found the time to go about some demanding sporting accomplishments himself.
Media reports suggest that when Yim turned 30, he put together a list of things he wanted to accomplish over the next decade and set his sights on completing a triathlon.
When it became clear that finishing a triathlon would be well within his reach, he decided to challenge himself to finish an Ironman, a triathlon that includes a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and 42km run.
Before the car accident in 2019, Yim had already completed multiple triathlons, several half Ironmans and one full Ironman.
Yim got to the point he was aspiring to reach the podium at his next full Ironman but suddenly, he had to adjust his expectations to simply finishing a half Ironman.
He did just that months after his accident which has been described as an extraordinary feat for someone who was involved in such a horrific car accident.
Trademark bowtie…
Jonathan Yim had developed a unique tradition during his time at the Portland Trail Blazers where he would wear a bowtie for games played on Wednesdays. He dubbed it ‘bowtie Wednesday’.
Days after Yim was involved in the car accident in 2019 the entire Trail Blazers coaching staff wore bowties for a Western Conference playoff game in honour of Yim.
The Southland Sharks do have some Wednesday fixtures as part of the 2025 NZNBL schedule.
Will Jill Bolger and Nick Jeffrey at Southland Sharks HQ now be on the hunt for an orange bowtie for Coach Jonathan?
