After being named a McDonald's All American as a high school player in Washington, he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

He was the head coach of the Utah Jazz for eight seasons,[3] and is known for being both an offensive and defensive minded tactician with a passion for player development.

[7] In the middle of his graduate work, Snyder spent the 1992–93 NBA season as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.

[9] In May 2004, Snyder was named in 17 allegations as a part of an NCAA investigation over recruiting violations, centering on improper gifts to guard Ricky Clemons.

[11] The program was placed on a three-year probation that November after the NCAA infractions committee ruled that an assistant bought meals, provided transportation and illegally contacted recruits.

[13] Snyder resigned as coach on February 10, 2006, following a 26-point loss to Baylor that extended a losing streak to six and dropped the Tigers to a 10–11 record overall, 3–7 in the Big 12.

[13] But in May 2007, he accepted the head coaching position of the Austin Toros in the NBADL[16] In the first season, Snyder's team won the Southwest Division championship and reached the D-League Finals.

During his three-year tenure in Austin, Snyder compiled more wins and guided more players to the NBA than any other coach in the D-League.

On July 1, 2011, NBA team Los Angeles Lakers hired Snyder as an assistant under coach Mike Brown.

On July 8, 2012, the European powerhouse team CSKA Moscow of the Russian Professional Basketball League hired Snyder as the head assistant coach under Ettore Messina.

[21] CSKA reached the Euroleague Final Four this season, but lost to eventual champion Olympiacos Piraeus in the semi-final round.

[29] On February 18, 2021, Snyder was named as the Western Conference head coach for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game as a result of his team's NBA-best 23–5 record.