Corey Gaines

Who is Corey Gaines?

Corey Yasuto Gaines is an American former professional basketball player.

Gaines was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 3rd round of the 1988 NBA Draft. A 6'3" guard from UCLA and Loyola Marymount University, Gaines played in 5 NBA seasons for 4 different teams. He played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. In his NBA career, he played in 80 games and scored a total of 248 points. Gaines also played in a Japanese men's basketball league in the early 2000s.

On November 7, 2007, Gaines became the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, replacing outgoing head coach Paul Westhead. Gaines had prior experience with Westhead's offense, having played for him at Loyola Marymount University and with the Nuggets. Gaines kept the same offense that Westhead employed, and in 2009, he directed the Mercury to their second WNBA title. Diana Taurasi became the second player in WNBA history to win the regular season scoring title, the WNBA MVP Award, the WNBA Championship, and the WNBA Finals MVP Award in the same season.

In November 2011, Gaines was promoted to general manager of the Mercury, taking over a position vacated by Ann Meyers-Drysdale.