Royal Ivey is the head man in charge for South Sudan after a long history in Oklahoma City
Sam PrestiOne of the disciples from the Thunder organization that is rising to prominence is, who was both a coach and a player in Oklahoma City. Ivey was a key veteran on a young Thunder team from 2010-2012, appearing in 61 total games across three seasons.
Now, Ivey has added the most impressive piece to his growing resume as the head coach of South Sudan in the Paris Olympics. Ivey is leading both the team and the country as South Sudan looks to make history. The team took the USA down to the wire in an exhibition game and will have a chance to shock the world once again this week.interview with the Houston Chronicle
. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a trailblazer. I felt like this would be something different, getting those head coaching reps and trying to lead this nation on this journey. I thought it was getting out of myself and being selfless and giving of my time, basically invest in other people instead of just myself.”
His coaching journey has come a long way in such a short time. Ivey began his journey in 2014 as an assistant for the Oklahoma City Blue under the Thunder’s current head coach. He was elevated to an assistant coach with the Thunder in 2016 and stayed with the organization through 2018. He is now an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets and will help Ime Udoka lead Houston back to prominence after he’s done coaching South Sudan.“I never knew I was going to be a coach,” Ivey said.
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