Liverpool – September 07, 2026 -- Liverpool Basketball has named Roy Rogers as its first-ever head coach ahead of the club's inaugural season in Super League Basketball (SLB), owner Jason Dolan announced.

Rogers brings nearly two decades of NBA coaching experience to the role

Rogers spent four seasons (2021-25) with the Portland Trail Blazers, including a stint as defensive coordinator, and most recently worked on staff at the University of Memphis. His NBA coaching career also includes stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, beginning in the NBA Development League in 2004. He has worked alongside Hall of Fame coaches Doc Rivers and Mike D'Antoni, as well as Tyronn Lue, Lawrence Frank and Randy Wittman.

Rogers was a first-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft

Before coaching, Rogers was selected out of the University of Alabama in the 1996 NBA Draft, a class that included Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Ray Allen. He played four NBA seasons with the Vancouver Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets, later playing internationally, including a season with CSKA Moscow.

Dolan calls the hire a statement for the club's opening season

"We're talking about a leader who brings nearly two decades of NBA experience to our organisation," Dolan said, adding that the club aims to represent Liverpool "to the highest standards." Rogers said the opportunity to be the first head coach in Liverpool Basketball's history was "the kind of opportunity a coach gets once in a career."

Paul Cantwell joins as assistant coach

Cantwell, who previously served as head coach of the Yorkshire Dragons in British Championship Basketball, will complete Liverpool's inaugural coaching staff. Rogers will make his home debut at the M&S Bank Arena on October 4 against Manchester.