PHILADELPHIA -- Former NBA coach Chris Ford joined the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant to new coach Randy Ayers on Thursday.

Ford, who spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Brandeis University, led the Boston Celtics to consecutive Atlantic Division titles in 1991 and 1992, and also coached the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ford won three NBA championships with the Celtics as a player (1981) and an assistant coach (1984, 1986).

The Sixers also hired Chris Jent as assistant coach/player development, promoted Bob Bender to assistant bench coach and elevated Frank Zanin to assistant coach/advance scout.

Ayers replaced Larry Brown, who resigned in May after six seasons in Philadelphia and now is coaching Detroit.

The 54-year-old Ford compiled a record of 311-358 in nine seasons as head coach with Boston (1990-95), Milwaukee (1996-98) and the Clippers (1998-2000). His best season was his first year as a coach when the Celtics went 56-26 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

A second-round selection by the Detroit Pistons in the 1972 draft, Ford played with the Pistons until he was traded to Boston in 1978. Ford averaged 9.2 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in his 10-year career. Ford played college ball at Villanova.

Jent played three seasons in the NBA and was a member of the Houston Rockets championship team in 1994.

Zanin was the Sixers' video coordinator the past three seasons, and the 46-year-old Bender returns for his second season after serving as assistant coach/player development last year. Before joining Philadelphia's staff, Bender was a head coach at the collegiate level for 13 years, including a nine-year stint at Washington.