What is Sam Cassell's Net Worth and Salary?
Sam Cassell is a professional basketball coach and former player who has a net worth of $23 million. During his NBA career Sam Cassell earned $58 million in NBA salary.
Sam Cassell serves as an assistant coach for the NBA's Boston Celtics. As a player, he spent 15 years with eight different teams, winning two consecutive NBA championships with the Houston Rockets in the 1990s and one with the Celtics in 2008. Cassell also helped the Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves reach the Conference Finals, and helped the Los Angeles Clippers win their first-ever playoff series in 2006.
Early Life and High School
Sam Cassell was born on November 18, 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland. As a teenager, he attended Paul Lawrence Dunbar Community High School in Baltimore and then spent a year at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine.
Collegiate Career
Although he was recruited by DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, Cassell was ruled academically ineligible due to the NCAA's Proposition 48 standards. As a result, he began his collegiate career at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas, where he established his dominance as a big scorer on the basketball team. For his junior and senior years of college, Cassell played for Florida State University. As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points and 4.9 assists per game, and helped lead the Seminoles to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
Houston Rockets
In the 1993 NBA draft, Cassell was selected by the Houston Rockets. He had an excellent rookie season on the team, playing a crucial role in the Rockets' victorious playoff run leading up to the 1994 NBA championship title. Cassell and the Rockets went on to win a second consecutive NBA championship in 1995, this time sweeping the Orlando Magic. The team was unable to repeat its success in 1996, and was knocked out of the second round of the playoffs by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Phoenix Suns
After three seasons with the Rockets, Cassell was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Although he only played 22 games for the team, he helped the Suns improve their record with his 14.8 points per game.
Dallas Mavericks
At the end of 1996, Cassell was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He only appeared in 16 games for the team before being traded again.
New Jersey Nets
Cassell was traded to the New Jersey Nets midway through the 1996-97 season. He considered a return to Houston after the end of the season, but decided to re-sign with the Nets on a six-year contract. Cassell went on to have a strong 1997-98 season, forming a powerful backcourt with Kerry Kittles and averaging 19.6 points per game. The Nets ended up making it to the playoffs, but were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the first round. In the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, the team got off to a rough 3-15 start after Cassell suffered an injury in the season's first game.
Milwaukee Bucks
In March of 1999, Cassell was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He had some of his best career seasons on the team, leading the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 and scoring his career high of 40 points in an earlier game against the Bulls. In the 2002-03 season, Cassell passed 10,000 career points and recorded a triple double in a double overtime 140-133 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Following his four seasons with the Bucks, Cassell was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He went on to have his best statistical career season in 2003-04, recording 19.8 points and 7.3 assists per game and helping the Timberwolves post a franchise-best record of 58-24. Moreover, Cassell helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Lakers. For Cassell's second and final season with the team, which was plagued by injuries, the Timberwolves finished 44-38 and missed the playoffs by one game.
Los Angeles Clippers
Cassell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005, and subsequently led the team to its most successful season to that date. Not only did the Clippers post a franchise-best 47-35 record that season, the team made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and won its first playoff series since moving to California in 1978. Ultimately, the Clippers lost to the Suns in the Conference Semifinals. The following season, Cassell struggled with injuries as the Clippers missed the playoffs by two games. In early 2008, he was placed on waivers amid a contractual buyout agreement.
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Boston Celtics
Cassell played his final NBA season with the Boston Celtics in 2008. It ended up being one of his best ever, as he helped the team finish with an NBA-best record of 66-16 en route to an NBA championship title, the third of his career. Although Cassell didn't play in any games the following season, he was still listed as an active player and served as an unofficial assistant to head coach Doc Rivers. In early 2009, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for salary cap purposes, and was subsequently waived. Instead of re-signing with Boston, Cassell chose to sit out the remainder of the 2009 season. He eventually announced his retirement in May.
Coaching Career
Following his retirement from playing, Cassell became an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards, a position he held from 2009 to 2014. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for his former team the Clippers from 2014 to 2020. That was followed by an assistant coach position with the 76ers from 2020 to 2023. After that, Cassell joined his former team the Celtics as an assistant coach under Joe Mazzulla.
Personal Life
Cassell has a son named Sam Jr. who played basketball at Iona College, Chipola College, and the University of Connecticut. In 2017, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Summer League squad.
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