Paul Jesperson has replaced John Little as the Valley Suns head coach, after Little joined Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott’s staff as an assistant.

Jesperson worked as an assistant under Little in the Valley Suns inaugural G League season. The Valley Suns reached the 2025 G League playoffs.

Advertisement

“Paul is ready to take this next step in his career as he moves into the role of head coach,” said Valley Suns General Manager Brendan Sabean in an Aug. 18 news release. “His background and experience complement our vision to utilize the G League as a lifeline of development for Suns and Valley Suns players. He’s a natural fit for the job and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact he can make as head coach.”

Jesperson was a player development coach for the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons (2021-23) after joining the NBA franchise as an assistant video coordinator in 2020-21.

He last served as a director of player development/assistant coach for the University of Oklahoma men’s basketball team, joining them in August 2023.

Little is now part of Ott’s new staff that includes assistants Jesse Mermuys, DeMarre Carroll, Brian Randle, Chaisson Allen, Mike Muscala and Sean Dwyer.

Advertisement

Ott bought a 5,620-square-foot Paradise Valley house, costing $4.6 million, with five bedrooms, 5½ bathrooms, two offices, 8-foot front doors, walls of glass, a 14-foot quartzite kitchen island, hidden pantry, three gas fireplaces and multiple patios, The Republic reported.

The Pookaloo Trust sold it.

Former NBA head coach Steve Clifford will serve as a coaching advisor. The Suns didn’t hire him for the position and Clifford wasn’t listed on the Suns press release when announcing Ott’s coaching staff, which also includes Mateen Cleaves as a player development/leadership assistant.

Clifford, 63, compiled a 340-461 record as an NBA head coach over the course of 10 seasons. He coached three seasons in Orlando and seven in Charlotte.

Advertisement

The Hornets went 21-61 in Clifford’s final season as their head coach in 2023-24. He coached Charlotte and Orlando to the playoffs twice, losing in the first round each time.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Hawks development coach new Suns’ G League team head coach