Coach Will Hardy

Will Hardy is a leadership expert and the head coach of the Utah Jazz. Under his coaching style of “toughness, sacrifice, and passion,” he’s rebuilt the Jazz organization into a winning culture. Rather than using the outdated “command and control” tactics of old-school coaches, he uses a “love first” approach, leading with empathy and creating environments where team members show each other respect and appreciation.

Before joining the Jazz in 2022, Hardy worked under Gregg “Coach Pop” Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs for 11 years, starting as a video coordinator and working his way up to an assistant coaching role. While working for the Spurs, the team reached three NBA Conference Finals appearances (2012, 2013, 2017) and an NBA Championship (2014). He then served one year as an Assistant Coach for the Boston Celtics (2021-2022), helping the team reach its first NBA Finals in more than a decade.

Prior to coaching in the NBA, Hardy played Division III college basketball at Williams College. There, his early academic experiences influenced his coaching philosophy, which uses a more inclusive conversational style to encourage investment from the team and organization. 

Hardy also runs the Will Hardy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The foundation was inspired by his father, Bill Hardy, who died of ALS in 2015.

Hardy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Williams College.