Philip Daniel Saunders is a $30 millionaire.
Wikimedia Commons has a biography of Philip Daniel Saunders.
Philip Daniel Saunders was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 23, 1955. He was a basketball player and coach best remembered for coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards, and Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to his death, he had greatly increased his net worth.
Flip Saunders’ net worth was unknown. According to accounts, he had a net worth of $30 million at the time of his death, which he obtained primarily through a successful coaching career. He made his way up through the coaching ranks and was eventually discovered by the NBA. He became a basketball executive in addition to coaching, which helped him increase his riches.
Flip Saunders has a net worth of $30 million dollars.
Flip began his basketball career as a member of the Cuyahoga Heights High School basketball team in Cleveland, where he was named Ohio Class A High School Basketball Player of the Year in 1973. He went on to play at the University of Minnesota, where he was teammates with Kevin McHale and Ray Williams. Saunders decided to pursue a coaching career after graduation.
He began his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran College, where he went 92-13 overall and 56-0 at home. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 1981, and then two seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Tulsa. Flip became the coach of the Rapid City Thrillers in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1988. He proceeded on to coach the La Crosse Catbirds for five seasons, winning two CBA championships along the way. He was the Catbirds’ General Manager and Team President before moving on to coach the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He opted to move from the CBA to the NBA after seven seasons with more than 30 victories each. His net worth was well-established at the time.
He joined the NBA in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become the general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He took over as head coach in late 1995, and despite a losing record that season, star player Kevin Garnett began to gain notice for his abilities. Saunders led the Timberwolves earn their first postseason berth in 1996, and then a winning record the following year. They continued to have successful seasons, winning over 50 games in 1999 and 2001. The Wolves reached their pinnacle in 2003, when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals. The following season, however, the team’s performance fell short of expectations, and Saunders was sacked as a result.
Saunders became the coach of the Detroit Pistons in 2005, leading the team to a 64-18 record. His coaching abilities earned him the opportunity to coach the Eastern Conference at the 2006 All-Star Game. During the 2008 season, the Pistons fell in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, ending Flip’s coaching career with the team.
Flip became the coach of the Washington Wizards in 2009, but he had a dismal record and was sacked after three years. He returned to the Timberwolves in 2014, however due to illness, he was unable to continue coaching.
Saunders is survived by his wife Debbie (m. 1978) and their four children from his personal life. His daughter became a member of the University of Minnesota Dance Team, and his son became an NBA assistant coach. Saunders disclosed in August 2015 that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer that starts in white blood cells. He died in October 2015, and the Timberwolves were heartbroken.
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inducted into the University of Minnesota M Club Hall of Fame in 2004. |
| 2 | Named the Timberwolves’ President of Basketball Operations on 3 May 2013. |
| 3 | NBA analyst for ESPN, 31 October 2012-May 2013. |
| 4 | Head coach of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2005), Detroit Pistons (2005-2008), and Washington Wizards (2009-2012). |
