A new era begins Wednesday night for the Toronto Raptors with a nearly brand-new coaching staff including head coach Darko Rajaković and assistant coach James Wade. Just one assistant coach, Jim Sann, will be returning from last season.
Just a few months ago, James Wade was head coach and General Manager of the Chicago Sky, one of the teams involved in the first WNBA game ever played in Canada.
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He’s now back in Toronto and excited for his new journey with the Raptors.
“A humbling experience. And, you know, we’re just happy that it was able to work out the way it did
Wade coached the Sky to their first WNBA title in 2021 and was with the team this summer, when he got a call out of the blue that Rajaković wanted to speak to him.
They had no previous working relationship, but the two met over zoom and shortly after, Wade joined the Raptors coaching staff.
“It’s been a whirlwind, something that wasn’t really a part of my process every day of thinking about this. And once the opportunity came about, it just changed my life upside down. And for the good.
Wade is a former basketball player, playing his entire career in Europe before turning to coaching. His move to Toronto marks his first NBA coaching job. It wasn’t just a big leap for him, but also his wife and son Jett.
“He’s excited. Of course he got a Scottie [Barnes] jersey and so he’s just going to keep on going down the list and try to represent for somebody.”
Wade said he is looking forward to his first home opener as a member of the raptors staff. He’ll have a special guest in the stands to witness his career first, Wade’s mom
“She’s here this week and once she got here, she kind of opened up and was excited and got a chance to see Toronto, Mississauga and got a chance to meet a lot of the fans other night. So she’s pretty happy … I got a chance to see a smile on her face,” Wade told CityNews
The 48-year-old has both French and American citizenship, and is trilingual, speaking English, French, and Spanish. According to his fellow assistant coach Pat Delany, he has also given himself his nickname: Coco
“Everybody [calls me CoCo] … especially when they talking trash,” shared Wade.
Wade says there is just one more thing he needs to do to feel more at home in Canada. He is a soccer fanatic and is looking to find a team to root for north of the border.
The Raptors kick off their 2023/2024 season Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.