Jerry Reynolds is a former American basketball coach and an executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

We all love the stories of people reaching and climbing the ladder of success. Moreover, our eyes itch to look at people with humble beginnings reaching the very top. One such person who has done both is Jerry Reynolds.

This stellar man has coached the Sacramento Kings in the NBA and also worked as its general manager and broadcaster. After a long and illustrious career, he finally retired in 2020. 

Among thousands of stars born in Sacramento, California, he is the sweetest and most loved of all.

Moreover, Reynolds has also been inducted into the University of West Georgia Hall of Fame. 

We know that you are excited to read about the life and history of Jerry Reynolds. But let’s hold on to our horses and look at some quick facts about him. 

Quick Facts

Early Life, Education & Family

Jerry Reynolds was born on January 29, 1944, in the area of French Lick, Indiana. Interestingly, NBA legend Larry Bird also comes from the same place. 

The information related to parents of Reynolds is not available on the internet.

But we are sure that he must have spent his childhood in a friendly household, where he grew up loving and admiring basketball. 

Moreover, he has mentioned about having a brother and sister in the past. 

Education

Reynolds attended the Springs Valley Junior-Senior High School. After graduating from high school, he had several universities to choose from. 

He received a scholarship from Vincennes University to play basketball and decided to join there, and he played from 1962 to 1964.

Jerry got injured in his sophomore year due to a car accident. As a result, he was hospitalized for many months, and during this time, several other schools recruited him.

After spending two years studying in Vincennes, Reynolds transferred to another university. He followed in his brother’s footsteps and went to Oakland City.

 Unfortunately, due to his injury, he couldn’t play competitive basketball.

But to keep the basketball scholarship, Reynolds worked as a freshman head coach from 1964 to 1966 in Oakland. 

Age, Height & Physical Appearance

Jerry Reynolds was born on January 29, 1944. Currently, he is 79 years old.

His zodiac sign is Aquarius, and a known fact about people of this zodiac sign is that they are easily adaptable. In addition, their charismatic personality makes them present as original and genuine. 

Regarding Reynold’s height, he is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighs 175 lbs (79 kg). 

Career

Jerry Reynold’s overall professional career is split into two distinct phases. The first phase was as a coach. Similarly, he worked in different television and the NBA sectors in the second phase. 

He didn’t play professional basketball in the NBA. Despite this, he defied all odds and went on to manage different basketball teams.

Moreover, Reynolds began his coaching career with a college team and slowly moved up the ranks.

Oakland City 

Like every journey requires a first step, Reynolds took his first step in the world of coaching from Oakland City. 

He was given the position of freshman head coach of the Oakland City team. 

Jerry spent the 1965-66 season in Oakland, and while he was a freshman head coach, he completed his undergraduate degree at the university. 

Vincennes & West Georgia 

After finishing one year with Oakland, Reynolds was hired by his former coach at Vincennes. He continued coaching as an assistant at Vincennes University for five years, from 1967 to 1972. 

Due to his natural leadership, he contributed to the team winning the 1970 national championship. After performing well with Vincennes, he received an offer from West Georgia Wolves.

As a result, he became an assistant coach for the West Georgia Wolves, a basketball team of West Georgia University. At that time, Reynolds joined Roger Kaiser, who managed West Georgia. 

From 1972 to 1975, he spent three years with the team. With his help, West Georgia brought home the 1974 Division II title. 

Rockhurst 

After spending three years in West Georgia, Jerry moved to Rockhurst University. Cotton Fitzsimmons, the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, recommended Jerry Reynolds for the head coach’s job at Rockhurst University.

Reynolds spent nine years with the team, which was the longest he spent in one place.

Then, he made a move to his new destination, Pittsburg State, where he coached for only one year.

Sacramento Kings 

Jerry Reynolds’ first attachment to Sacramento Kings came in 1985 when he was an assistant coach. Likewise, as an assistant coach, he spent three years with the Kings.

After that, he received a promotion from the Sacramento Kings team.

Spell As An Interim Manager

Sacramento Kings promoted Reynolds to the position of interim manager in 1986.

In his first two seasons, Reynolds helped the team finish 5th and 6th in the Midwest division league.

Likewise, out of the 60 games, Reynolds won 22 games.

Head NBA Coach 

Kings finally promoted Jerry Reynolds to the position of head coach in 1988. After a rocky two years, he was given the heads-up to manage the team.

Hence, he managed the team for over 110 games and helped his team win 34 matches.

To summarize Reynolds’ coaching career, he oversaw 170 matches for the Sacramento Kings.

Likewise, out of those 170 matches, Reynold successfully won 56 games. This was a depressing statistic, as he lost 114 games for the team.

What Did Jerry Reynolds Do After Coaching? 

Reynolds finished his professional coaching career in the NBA in 1990. However, despite not working as a coach, he stayed close to basketball.

He served as the team manager of the Sacramento Kings and also worked for the Sacramento Monarchs WNBA team. However, he retired from that post in 2003.

He is credited for building a core team of the Sacramento Monarchs, who went on to win the WNBA Championship.

Commentating & Broadcasting

Jerry is a man with broad interests. Hence, he started working in media and making a name for himself. He worked as a broadcaster for more than 20 years. 

Reynolds loves using one-liners and catchy phrases that captivate the attention of fans. His signature catchphrases are known as ‘Jery-isms.’

Not to mention, Reynolds had an easy time commentating and talking on TV due to his excellent communicating skills. 

He always found ways to entertain, even in boring circumstances. Due to this, his presence is cherished by the NBA community.

Renolds stepped down from the job of color analyst of Kings after working in the 2017-19 season. 

During his tenure with the Kings, he has been with four ownership groups, five general managers, and 17 head coaches.

After that, Jerry worked as an executive in the NBA and hosted a podcast called “The Jerry Reynolds Show.”

Furthermore, he retired in 2020 and leaving an irreplaceable void and creating a legacy that will last forever. 

Net Worth & Salary

So, how much is Jerry Reynolds worth? That’s a question a lot of people ask. We know that Reynolds has amassed his net worth through his managerial career and broadcasting career.

According to various online reports, Jerry Reynolds’s net worth is estimated to be between $2-$5 million as of November 2023. 

After being the head coach, he earned millions of dollars, which was even increased through his executive and commentary work. 

Moreover, he was involved with various brands and endorsements, from which he earned a good amount of income through promotion. 

Wife & Children

Reynolds is married to his long-time partner and wife, Dodie Reynolds. They married each other in 1968 and have been together for around 55 years.

They have two children, a son, Jay Renolds, and a daughter, Danielle Reynolds. Sadly, Jay is battling stage 4 cancer. 

The pair currently lives in Roseville, Sacramento, California. Before that, Jerry and Dodie used to live in Kansas City.

However, as Jerry received the job with the Kings, the couple shifted to Sacramento in 1985.

They have lived in Sacramento for over 35 years. Likewise, both Jerry and Dodie love the community and are happy in Sacramento.

3,000 Square Foot House In Sacramento

The couple has a 3,000-square-foot house in Roseville, California, that features four bedrooms and crisp furnishing.

Dodie worked creatively to refurbish the property in every way possible.

The house consists of many awards received by Jerry Reynolds in his lifetime. Although Jerry doesn’t have a favorite thing in the house, he values people, friendship, and memories.

Dodie, so far, has been able to remodel the bathrooms and kitchen. Likewise, she has changed the house’s wallpapers, paint, and blinds. 

Personal Life

The Character of Jerry Reynolds

Jerry is a well-known person in Sacramento and the NBA community. He is renowned and is loved and cherished by many fans.

He has been admired for his ability to build close relationships with his players.

Moreover, he receives praise and love for his wisdom, sarcasm, and sincerity. All these qualities are what make Reynolds so special.

Jerry has received great praise from a player he managed in the past.

Reggie Theus, a two-time All-Star, played under him from 1985 to 1988. He revealed that Jerry’s best quality was communicating and inspiring different people in different ways. 

In regards to his coach, he said the following quote.

“The effect he’s had on my life, personally, what he means to me as a person, coach, and Sacramento Kings figure.” He further added, “I’m just genuinely happy for him. There are not a lot of guys you cheer for, but you cheer for Jerry.”

More Memories & Honors

In his house, Reynolds has two basketballs in acrylic cases. He received the first one from his coaching victory.

However, the second one remains special for so many reasons, as he was gifted the basketball case by the gold-medal-winning U.S. Women’s Olympic Team.

Moreover, Reynolds has been awarded the ‘Best of Sacramento’ award due to his calm and chill personality. The award stands among several other accolades in Reynolds’ house.

Jerry comes from the same area as Larry Bird, who is also from French Lick.

As a joke, he has been gifted a picture of him and Larry Bird that included the caption ‘Second most famous person from French Lick.’

Sacramento Kings honored Jerry Renolds by naming their media entrance to his name. The tribute happened in the 2020-21 season’s opening home game of the Sacramento Kings. 

Interesting Incidents Of Jerry Reynolds

Jerry Reynolds has been primarily involved with basketball for most of his life. In one instance, he was on a flight with the Sacramento Kings.

Unfortunately, aviation went through much turbulence due to a fierce thunderstorm.

He later reported that the flight had come within a few hundred feet of crashing in the Potomac River.

If the flight had crashed that day, we might not have witnessed Reynolds doing great things with his life. 

Similarly, another interesting incident involving him was when he got unconscious and sick on the court. During a basketball match, Jerry collapsed on the sideline and was unresponsive.

Thankfully there was no serious illness. Instead, the doctors revealed that the collapse was due to poor diet and sleeping habits.

20 Years With The Kings

Reynolds is also a published writer. Penning his time with the Sacramento Kings, he has written the book ‘Reynolds Remembers: 20 Years with the Sacramento Kings.’

The novel covers his journey with the Kings and reveals interesting details. 

It was published on January 31, 2012; if you are interested, you can buy the book on Amazon. 

Social Media Presence

Unfortunately, Jerry doesn’t use any social media platforms right now. Previously, he had a Twitter account dedicated to his podcast, but he hasn’t posted there since 2020.

Likewise, we do not know if Jerry has a private Instagram account.

However, we know that if you want to see more of Jerry Reynolds, Google, and YouTube are the best places to visit. 

Twitter: 1,108 Followers 

Popularity Graph 

The former NBA coach and commentator is a famous figure in sports and entertainment.

The above graph illustrates his 12 months search trend.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does Jerry reside in Houston?

Jerry does not reside in Houston. Instead, he lives in Sacramento with his family.

Why is there a Jerry Reynolds obituary?

The obituary does not belong to the basketball coach Jerry Reynolds. He is still alive and works as an executive in the NBA.

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