UALR Athletic Director Chris Peterson and head men’s basketball coach Steve Shields announced Tuesday the addition of 15-year NBA veteran and Olympic gold medalist Joe Kleine to the Trojan coaching staff in a press conference at the Jack Stephens Center. Kleine was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medal team and won an NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.

“I couldn’t be more excited with where we are going today with the addition of our newest family members in Joe and Dana,” Shields said of Kleine and his wife. “Joe has been someone that I have grown to know over the last seven years and feel like I know very, very well. He also brings a wealth of experience to our staff when you think about all the guys he’s been around.”

A seven-foot center, who played with the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, Kleine was a 1985 sixth-round draft pick for the Sacramento Kings. He went on to a 15-year NBA career playing for the Kings as well as the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Portland Trailblazers.