For most NBA players, their retirement doesn’t always end their involvement in the sport of basketball. Many of the game’s greats come back in various roles, Michael Jordan originally as a GM and then an owner, Larry Bird as a Head Coach, and Steve Nash as a Head Coach, to name a few. Many have lucrative media careers relating to the NBA like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, but very few do something completely unrelated to the sport of basketball.
One of the inspirations when it comes to walking away from the game is none other than Tim Duncan. Duncan is widely considered the greatest power forward to ever play the game, but he had an understated personality when he was in the league, which has not changed for him in retirement. Duncan was part of the coaching staff for Gregg Popovich for a year, but any hopes that he would succeed Pop were dashed when he walked away. And now the legendary coach has spoken about TD’s plans.
Gregg Popovich Addressed Tim Duncan’s Potential Coaching Career
There are not a lot of players who can say that they’ve achieved everything there is to in the game. But Tim Duncan is among the handful that can comfortably claim that. So it’s understandable that he wouldn’t be too excited about coaching, and Coach Pop explained as much (via Sportskeeda).
“He may never go to a game the rest of his life. But he comes to practices and walks around to see the boys play. But he has no interest in coaching. Yeah. I gave up. When we had him [Duncan] that one year, I gave up after a week. It shows a maturity and intelligence, unlike some of us. We just keep doing it because we love it.
“But he has other interests. He’s not wedded to basketball. People fall in love, but basketball doesn’t really love you. Your friends and family love you. Basketball doesn’t love you.”
There is no doubt that fans would love to see Duncan back in the league, even if it is in a coaching role. However, with the way things went for Steve Nash as Head Coach of the Brooklyn Nets, there is no guarantee that it will be a pleasant experience. And since Duncan remains one of the greatest of the game regardless of what he does, coming back to coach isn’t something he needs to do either.
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