Pacers assistant Shayne Whittington joins coaching staff at Western Michigan University

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers assistant coach Shayne Whittington has accepted a coaching job at Western Michigan University.

Whittington, 33, joined the Pacers in June 2023 as a team assistant. In that role, he was responsible for film, player development, scouting and other key behind-the-scenes duties. Last season was his first in that role.

Now he’s heading to Western Michigan to become an assistant coach on basketball head coach Dwayne Stephens’ staff. Stephens has been the head coach since 2022 and Whittington played for Western Michigan during his college days. The frontcourt player spent four years with the Broncos from 2009 to 2014.

In his final season, Whittington averaged 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. This led to an NBA contract with the Pacers, with whom he spent the only two seasons of his NBA career. He chose to play for the Blue and Gold despite also having an offer from the San Antonio Spurs. He went overseas for the next few seasons.

“Shayne is a great addition to our team,” Stephens said in a statement. “From his time as a player to coaching, Shayne has incredible experience and knows what it takes to win at the highest level. He will be a great mentor to our current student-athletes and help further strengthen our relationships with alumni, the community and donors.”

Whittington averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in his two seasons with the Pacers. “We were super excited that they called,” Whittington recalled his original signing by Indiana during an appearance in the Fixated on pacemaker Podcasts.

The Michigan native is now returning to his home state to further his coaching career. Indiana went 47-35 in the only season Whittington was on the staff.