Mark Daigneault

Mark Francis Daigneault ( DAYG-nawlt; born February 23, 1985) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Daigneault began his coaching career in 2007 as an assistant for Holy Cross and Florida before joining the Thunder organization in 2014. He spent five seasons as the head coach for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G-League affiliate, before becoming the head coach for the Thunder in November 2020. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2023–24 season. The following year, he led the Thunder to a franchise record 68 wins and won the 2025 NBA Finals.

Early life Mark Daigneault was born on February 23, 1985, in Leominster, Massachusetts. He attended Leominster High School. Daigneault is of French-Canadian descent via his great-grandfather, a native of Quebec.

Coaching career While attending the University of Connecticut, Daigneault served as a student manager for the UConn Huskies from 2003 to 2007 under Jim Calhoun. After earning his bachelor's degree in education, Daigneault initially intended to go for a master's degree, but was urged by Calhoun and associate head coach George Blaney to pursue an assistant coaching position at Holy Cross, giving Daigneault strong recommendations. During Daigneault's tenure, the Crusaders finished as runner-up of the Patriot League Championship in the 2008–09 season. After three seasons with Holy Cross, Daigneault enrolled at the University of Florida for graduate school, where he joined future Thunder head coach Billy Donovan as an assistant working for the Florida Gators. After graduating with a sports management degree, Daigneault became the assistant to the head coach which involved scouting and working with players off th