Larry Coon

{{short description|American computer scientist}}

{{Infobox scientist

|image = Larry_Coon-3.jpg

|image_size = 250px

|name = Larry Coon

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|7|28}}

|birth_place =

|nationality = American

|field = Computer science, National Basketball Association

|work_institutions = University of California, Irvine

|alma_mater =

|prizes =

|footnotes =

}}

Larry Coon is a retired computer scientist and information technology manager at the University of California, Irvine, who is known for his expertise on the National Basketball Association collective bargaining agreement. The New York Times writes that Coon is cited more frequently than basketball inventor James Naismith.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/sports/basketball/13cap.html|title=Got a Question About the N.B.A. Salary Cap? He's Your Man|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 January 2009|last1=Beck|first1=Howard}}

Coon maintains, edits and answers questions about the NBA salary cap and updates his website, CBAfaq.com, when any corrections or new information are brought to his attention.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} He has written for The New York Times,{{Cite web|url=http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/author/larry-coon/|title=Larry Coon - off the Dribble Blog - the New York Times}} ESPN.com{{Cite web |url=http://search.espn.go.com/larry-coon |title=Larry Coon News, Videos, Photos, and PodCasts - ESPN |access-date=2010-04-25 |archive-date=2010-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717034232/http://search.espn.go.com/larry-coon/ |url-status=dead }} and Hoopsworld.com,{{Cite web|url=http://www.hoopsworld.com/LarryCoonArchive.asp|title = HoopsHype}} makes occasional television (ESPN's Outside the Lines){{citation needed|date=August 2016}} and radio appearances, and frequents NBA fan forums such as RealGM.{{cite web |url=http://www.realgm.com/src_author_archives/119/larry_coon/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-11-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106202125/http://www.realgm.com/src_author_archives/119/larry_coon/ |archivedate=2009-11-06 }}

The NBA Players Association provides the entire collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for fans to inspect,{{cite web |url=http://www.nbpa.com/cba_articles.php |title=NBA Player's Association |accessdate=2009-11-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126011147/http://www.nbpa.com/cba_articles.php |archivedate=2010-01-26 }} but simply links to Coon's website for users who have specific questions about the contents of the CBA.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbpa.com/cba_faq.php |title=NBA Player's Association |accessdate=2009-11-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025110316/http://nbpa.com/cba_faq.php |archivedate=2005-10-25 }} In The Book of Basketball, sportswriter Bill Simmons calls Coon an "Internet hero" for his detailed, 40,000 word site.Simmons, Bill. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy. ESPN, 2009. 150. TNT's David Aldridge lists Coon among the innovators of the Basketball Blogosphere which he called the NBA "innovation of the decade".{{Cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/12/21/morning.tip/index.html |title=NBA.com: Lakers, Spurs dominated the decade that was |website=NBA.com |access-date=2009-12-24 |archive-date=2009-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224123440/http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/12/21/morning.tip/index.html |url-status=dead }} Aldridge also lists Coon among the "power players of the 2010 free agent market".{{Cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/david_aldridge/02/22/morning.tip/ |title=NBA.com: Trade deadline moves set the stage for an epic offseason |website=NBA.com |access-date=2010-04-25 |archive-date=2012-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108194756/http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/david_aldridge/02/22/morning.tip/ |url-status=dead }}

In July 2011, Sports Illustrated named Coon to their "Twitter 100", which listed the 100 most essential people in the sports world to follow on Twitter.{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/07/12/twitter100/index.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-07-17 |archive-date=2015-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502164210/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/07/12/twitter100/index.html |url-status=dead }}

Coon developed the curriculum and was the General Manager{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com/2017/04/12/salary-cap-expert-larry-coon-to-lead-sports-business-classroom-2017/|title = Sports Business Classroom | Break into Basketball}} of [http://sportsbusinessclassroom.com Sports Business Classroom] from 2016 through 2023. Coon and the 2016 Sports Business Classroom were featured in the [http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coon-726484-nba-cba.html Orange County Register].

Coon retired in 2024 and now focuses on building acoustic guitars.