Vitaly Potapenko

Vitaly Potapenko enters his third season with the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant coach and his second with head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Before joining the Grizzlies prior to the 2018-19 season, Potapenko served five seasons (2013-18) as the assistant director of player development for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to his time in Cleveland, Potapenko spent one season (2012-13) as an assistant coach with the NBA G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, helping guide the team to its first G League Finals appearance. He also was as an assistant coach for the Dakota Wizards during the 2011-12 season before the franchise relocated to Santa Cruz.

Potapenko served an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers during the 2010-11 season after serving as an assistant coach for the G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2009-10.

Selected by Cleveland with the 12th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, Potapenko appeared in 610 games (189 starts) with four teams and averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.0 minutes over 11 seasons (1996-2007).

Before playing in the NBA, Potapenko played for Budivelnyk (Ukraine) from 1992-1994 and finished his career playing for MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB during the 2007-2008 season. Nicknamed “The Ukraine Train,” the Kiev native played two seasons collegiately at Wright State University where he was named All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference.