Brendan Suhr
Founder of Coaching U
Brendan Suhr is regarded as one of the most respected figures in basketball with nearly 30 years as a coach and executive in the NBA and 15 seasons as a coach at the collegiate level. He has been a part of some of the most historic basketball teams of all time while winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” as well as being part of the 1992 “Dream Team” that won the gold medal for the United States at the Barcelona Olympic Games. He developed his “servant leadership” mentality while working as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coaches Chuck Daly, Hubie Brown and Lenny Wilkins.
During his coaching career, he coached some of the world’s best players such as Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Dennis Rodman and most recently the #1 selection in the 2016 NBA draft, Ben Simmons.
Suhr began his coaching journey as an assistant at the University of Detroit Mercy under Dick Vitale. He then served at Fairfield University for five seasons before transitioning to the NBA. His NBA tenure included assistant coaching positions with the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks. Beyond coaching, Suhr also held executive roles such as Vice President and Director of Player Personnel for the Detroit Pistons during the 1999-2000 season, and held the same role for the New York Knicks from 2004-2008.
In the collegiate arena, Suhr served as Director of Program Development and later as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF) from 2010 to 2015. He then became the Associate Head Coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 2015 to 2017, where he notably coached Ben Simmons, the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. In 2019, Suhr joined Stetson University's men's basketball coaching staff, bringing with him a wealth of experience and leadership to the bench during his lone season in Deland.
Off the court, Brendan has established himself as an expert when it comes to "coaching coaches." He co-founded Coaching U in 2008 with co-founder Kevin Eastman to fill a gap in the coaching development space and provide coaches around the world with the opportunities and resources necessary to develop through regional seminars and coaching clinics. Today Coaching U is entering it's 17th season of hosting live events and has expanded to reach a global audience through the Coaching U+ mobile app and weekly podcasts reaching coaches in over 125 countries around the world.
In addition, Suhr has worked for over 10 years as a leadership consultant for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) as he was tasked with leading their two premiere offseason development programs aimed at training and developing current and former NBA players who had the desire to pursue careers in both coaching and front offices after their playing days concluded.
Suhr has a passion for developing effective leaders. His extensive background in the corporate world spans over 30 years as a leadership consultant who specializes in coaching, leadership, team-building and culture. His expertise in the corporate world stems from his ability to teach those in leadership positions to coach and develop the people they lead. His often-used phrase of “I don’t coach basketball, I coach people” is a testament to his authenticity and personable approach in teaching and leadership. His unique ability to relate and reach people of different age groups, backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs truly separates him from the competition.
