Former Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Ronnie Burrell has been hired as the head coach of the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate Osceola Magic, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported.
The Trail Blazers hired Burrell as an assistant on Chauncey Billups’ staff during the 2024 offseason, and he spent the past two seasons in the role. Burrell also served as the head coach of the 2025 Blazers Summer League team in Las Vegas, guiding a roster that featured Portland center Yang Hansen ahead of his rookie season.
Before his tenure with the Blazers, Burrell spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets, and he served as the head coach of Brooklyn’s G League affiliate Long Island Nets during the 2022-23 season. Burrell guided the Long Island Nets to a 23-9 overall record in the regular season, helping him earn G League Coach of the Year honors.
Going further back, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks, the G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls.
I’m not going to act like I know much about Burrell’s acumen as a coach beyond his resume. But for what it’s worth, the media got to interview Burrell during the 2025 Summer League run, and I remember his thoughtful answers and grounded demeanor left me with a real positive impression. In particular, I appreciated how he handled questions about Yang and the frenzy surrounding him that summer as the highest drafted player from China since 2007.
Here’s some of my commentary on Burrell from a Blazer’s Edge article covering Portland’s first Summer League practice last July (Publish date — July 6, 2025):
… I appreciated the way Blazers Summer League head coach Ronnie Burrell approached questions Saturday following the team’s first practice. Burrell never downplayed [Yang Hansen’s] talent during the five-minute interview, but he didn’t get carried away with hyperbole. He also never lost sight of the human element to the situation, particularly when discussing his Summer League expectations for Hansen.
“There’s a lot of pressure on that kid, man,” said Burrell, who has been an assistant coach with the Blazers since last summer. “I just want him to go out there and have fun first. … It’s a lot on him. And he’s prepared, and he’s talented enough, so no, I don’t have any specific goals [for Hansen]. There’s gonna be a lot of people talking to him. I want him to go out there and to learn our system, to learn about the NBA, while you gotta understand, this young man is adjusting to life in a new country, and it’s all hitting him at once. I just want to be there to support him.”
