The Deep Basketball Roots of the Firebirds' Head Coach

As promised in the last email I sent, today’s email is not a basic announcement or thank you, but an interesting story. I’m here to make good on my word, as I tell you the remarkable journey of the Firebirds’ head coach, Bob MacKinnon Jr.

Before telling his story, the first thing I want to clear up is MacKinnon’s name. His father was also named Bob MacKinnon, and so the MacKinnon who is the Firebirds’ head coach is frequently referred to as MacKinnon Jr. However, MacKinnon Jr has a different middle name from his father, meaning he is technically not a Jr. However, MacKinnon used the Jr title early on in his coaching career, so that people didn’t mistake him for his father. Since we’re diving into his background and upbringing, MacKinnon’s father will be known as MacKinnon Sr, but the Firebirds’ MacKinnon will just be MacKinnon, not MacKinnon Jr.

MacKinnon was born on September 24th, 1960, and from the day he was born, basketball was in his blood. His father, MacKinnon Sr, was an incredibly successful basketball coach and player. MacKinnon Sr was the head coach at Canisius College for 15 years, and coached in the NBA for around twenty years, including for teams like the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics. It was working for teams like these that gave him connections with which he could do some pretty cool stuff.

A prime example is when MacKinnon was in 6th grade. His school’s Christmas pageant was coming up when an amazing opportunity presented itself. MacKinnon Sr wrote the school a note saying that his son was sick, but in reality, MacKinnon was getting to see the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers practice in person. This was the same Lakers team that set the NBA record for most wins in a row, featured Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor and won a championship all in the same year. MacKinnon was able to watch because that night, the Lakers were practicing at Canisius College, where MacKinnon Sr was the head coach.

Once the Lakers were done practicing, MacKinnon asked West for an autograph, which he received. A photographer immortalized the moment…and it found its way into the newspaper, which MacKinnon’s teachers saw the next day. When the principal called MacKinnon Sr, his defense was that his son couldn’t sing, so they didn’t miss him much in the pageant.

MacKinnon bounced around for high school, playing his freshman year at Bishop Neumman, his sophomore year in St. Louis (where his dad was coaching at the time), and his last two years at DeSales Catholic High School (where his uncle was the coach). Post-high school, MacKinnon played college basketball at King’s College in Pennsylvania. Once he finished his college career, he began looking for assistant coaching opportunities. He started at the place where he just graduated, King’s College, and after a season, became an assistant coach at Mercyhurst University.

From there, he bounced around every few years, coaching at George Washington and Niagara before landing his first head coaching gig at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. While coaching there, he led them to two NCAA D3 Tournament appearances and won the Coach of the Year award in 1999. That success brought him assistant coaching gigs at more reputable D1 schools such as Notre Dame, UNC Chapel Hill, and Marshall. After he finished coaching at Marshall, his days as a coach in the NBA D-League (now G-League) began.

MacKinnon began his D-League head coaching career with the Colorado 14ers, who later became the Texas Legends. In his very first season coaching the team, MacKinnon won the D-League championship! This helped solidify him as a legitimate coach at the professional level, and he would land many other D-League coaching jobs with teams like the Idaho Stampede (now the Salt Lake City Stars), the Springfield Armor (now the Grand Rapids Gold), and the Los Angeles D-Fenders (D-League team of the (you guessed it) Los Angeles Lakers). MacKinnon also spent a season coaching overseas in China’s top professional basketball league, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

While MacKinnon’s D-League teams had various levels of success, MacKinnon was also extremely successful in his player development. Aside from his championship in his first-ever year coaching, MacKinnon holds the G-League records for all-time wins (207) and player call-ups to the NBA (28). His success is unmatched, and now, he’s brought it to Raleigh.

Under MacKinnon’s tenure, the Firebirds have been an extremely competitive team in The Basketball League. His incredible player development is a crucial reason why so many Firebirds can sign contracts to play professionally overseas.

MacKinnon’s coaching is what’s going to lead the Firebirds to the long-coveted “Lillie” this year, TBL’s championship that the Firebirds are after. If anyone can lead the Firebirds to the promised land, it’s him.

And…

If you want to watch the Firebirds battle their way to the top this season, then there’s no time like the present to buy tickets for this season! You can buy tickets on our website here, and remember: we’re only a little over a month away from our season opener! The time is almost upon us!

-Tex