WeSalute Awards

TopVet: John Bach, Assistant Coach, NBA

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Michael Jordan brought back John Bach to help coach the young and maturing Washington Wizards, for whom Michael came out of retirement this year to play. Bach is 77 now, a Navy veteran of the Second World War; he is in his 50th year coaching hoops.

When a reporter for the New York Times asked Bach if the framed copy of his Navy ID that he had placed near his locker was to inspire him or his players, Bach replied: "Both. When I was with the Bulls, I started using the ace of spades as our symbol. It’s a military card, the one men wore in their helmets. These days, I splice footage into our training videos of the Marine Corps silent drill team. If you haven’t seen them, you’re poorer for it. Perfection beyond excellence."

Before joining the Wizards, Bach’s last coaching gig was from 1996-99 with the Detroit Pistons. Previously, he had spent two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, following eight years as an assistant under Doug Collins (the current Washington coach) and Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls. Bach, a 1948 graduate of Fordham University, has three NBA championship rings, won with the Bulls in 1991, ‘92, and ‘93.

Before he went to Chicago, Bach had been the assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. He logged a 136-188 mark in three-plus seasons as an assistant in Oakland before Warriors head coach Al Attles stepped down late in the 1982-83 season. Bach assumed interim responsibilities for four games, before being named the Warriors head coach for the 1983-84 season. He then went 89-157 as the head coach of the hapless Warriors over three seasons before heading to Chicago.

Bach was the assistant coach of the 1972 Olympic Team and served on the United States’ Olympic Committee for 16 years. He has coached and conducted clinics in Puerto Rico, Peru, Finland, Poland, Russia, China, Brazil, Denmark, and Turkey.

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