Florida State University Athletics
Seminole Great Sam Cassell Wins Fourth NBA Championship
6/19/2024 8:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON, Mass. – When the Boston Celtics won their record 18th NBA Championship on June 17, Seminole Hall of Famer Sam Cassell earned his fourth NBA Championship ring. He has won two NBA championship titles as a player with the Houston Rockets (1994 and 1995), one as a player with the Celtics (2008), and now one as an assistant coach with the NBA's all-time winningest franchise.
Cassell was a two-year star guard at Florida State (1992-93), and averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists during his career in Tallahassee. He was a two-time All-ACC selection and a first-round pick by the Rockets in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Cassell led the Seminoles to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 1992 and to the Elite Eight in 1993. As a senior, he set the school record for steals with 97. Cassell earned All-ACC Second-Team honors in 1992 and 1993 and helped usher the Seminoles into the ACC during the 1991-92 season. He famously called the University of North Carolina's crowd a "wine and cheese crowd" following the Seminoles' 86-74 win over the Tar Heels at the Dean E. Smith Center in the Florida State's first ever ACC game.
Cassell is one of only three former Seminoles to earn NBA All-Star honors (Cassell, Dave Cowens, Scottie Barnes).
Boston defeated Dallas 106-88 in Game 5 to secure its 4-1 series victory, marking the first NBA title of Cassell's coaching career.
Cassell was hired by the Celtics as an assistant coach under Joe Mazzulla during the summer of 2023. He has worked for several NBA teams since retiring as a player following the 2009 season. He joined the Washington Wizards after his retirement in 2009 and was a member of Doc Rivers' staffs with the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers from 2014-2023. During his nine seasons as an assistant coach with the Clippers and 76ers, those two teams missed the playoffs just once in nine seasons.
Cassell coached former Seminoles great Terance Mann with the Clippers during the 2019-20 season – Mann's rookie season in the NBA and a playoff season for the franchise.