CLEVELAND, Ohio – Appalachian State University men's basketball alumnus and Golden State Warriors associate head coach Alvin Gentry (1973-77) clutched the Larry O'Brien Trophy as a National Basketball Association champion on Tuesday night when the Warriors finished off a 4-2 series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

The championship is Gentry's first in 26 years as an NBA coach. He is also the first former Appalachian State student-athlete to ever be a part of an NBA championship squad as a player or coach.

However, the championship is the second of Gentry's coaching career, as he was an assistant coach under Larry Brown at Kansas when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA title.

On May 30, Gentry was named head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, effective following the conclusion of the NBA Finals. New Orleans is the fourth NBA head-coaching assignment for Gentry, who previously served as head coach of the Miami Heat (1994), Los Angeles Clippers (2001-03) and Phoenix Suns (2009-13).