An ex-New York Knicks swingman is joining new coach Mike Brown’s bench for the 2025-26 season.
Brown has been reshaping New York’s assistant lineup since taking over for former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau earlier this summer.
Charlotte Hornets assistant Chris Jent is finalizing a deal to become the associate head coach of the New York Knicks under Mike Brown, sources tell ESPN. New York and Tyler Glass of CSE Talent negotiated terms for Jent, who returns to Knicks where he spent 1996-97 as a player. pic.twitter.com/oaO1onPUpc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 9, 2025
Sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN that Charlotte Hornets assistant coach Chris Jent will serve as Mike Brown’s associate head coach. His agent, Tyler Glass of CSE Talent, oversaw terms of the deal with the Knicks, Charania adds. Jent logged the 1996-97 season on New York, during the team’s halcyon Patrick Ewing days.
Jent, 55, was a 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward in his playing days. After going undrafted in 1992 out of Ohio State, he spent most of his first two pro seasons playing for other leagues. He latched on with the Houston Rockets at the end of their 1993-94 regular season, ultimately winning a championship with Hakeem Olajuwon and co.
After playing just three regular season contests for Houston, Jent suited up for 11 playoff bouts. Jent’s tenure there ddn’t last long. After stints in the Continental Basketball League, Australia, and Italy, Jent’s next NBA opportunity arrived in 1997. He spent just three games with the Knicks that year.
Jent continued playing elsewhere through the 2001-02 season, ultimately retiring as a member of Italian squad Pavia.
Jent has been on the coaching side of the game for over two decades, mostly in the NBA.
He kicked off his career in that capacity with a stint on the Larry Brown/Allen Iverson-era Philadelphia 76ers, and also worked as an assistant with the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Lakers before landing on Charles Lee’s Charlotte staff last year. Jent has also coached at the college and G League (then D League) ranks.
New York’s two rumored finalists for the role had been Indiana Pacers assistant coach Mike Weiner and Jent. Weiner dropped out of consideration recently, leaving Jent as the expected frontrunner. He will help guide the club’s new-look offense under Brown’s stewardship.
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