Bullets add international pedigree to coaching group

Photo: fiba.baskeball

The Brisbane Bullets announced on Tuesday that former NBA forward and Finnish basketball identity Hanno Möttölä has joined the club as an assistant coach.

He brings a strong and growing coaching résumé built across international basketball, with a focus on elite player development and national team performance systems.

Following his playing career, which included 155 games for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, Möttölä has been heavily involved in high-performance environments at the international level, including coaching and staff roles with the Finnish national team (Susijengi) across multiple FIBA campaigns and international windows.

He is also currently serving as an assistant coach with the Canadian national team program, led by newly appointed Breakers Head Coach Gordon Herbert.

“I’m excited to join the Bullets and be part of an organisation that’s clearly building something ambitious and modern,” Möttölä said.

“There’s strong talent here and a real opportunity to contribute to a high-performance culture that helps players keep improving every day.”

In his national team roles, Möttölä has worked closely with coaching staff on game preparation, scouting, opposition analysis, and training camp design.

His experience in these environments has provided him with a deep understanding of high-performance team structures, short-turnaround tournament preparation, and the integration of NBA, EuroLeague, and domestic-based players into a unified system.

“Hanno brings a wealth of experience from the NBA, EuroLeague, and FIBA basketball, both as a player and coach,” Brisbane Bullets Head Coach Will Weaver said.

“His holistic approach to player development helps us further establish ourselves as a club where players and their agents know they will improve.”

During his playing days, Möttölä suited up in Finland (Helsingin NMKY and Torpan Pojat), the United States (Atlanta Hawks), Spain (TAU Cerámica), Italy (Fortitudo Bologna and Scavolini Pesaro), Russia (Dynamo Moscow), Lithuania (Žalgiris Kaunas) and Greece (Aris Thessaloniki).

He was named the Finnish Player of the Year on eight occasions between 1997 to 2005.

As a coach, he was with Finnish club HBA-Märsky from 2014–2024, while assisting national outfits Finland (2019–24) and Canada (2025–present).

The Bullets’ roster for the NBL27 season features Tyrell Harrison, Jacob Holt, Taine Murray, Mitch Norton, Sam McDaniel, Harry Rouhliadeff, Lat Mayen and Taine Murray.