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Jay Wright on Possibly Coaching in NBA After Villanova Retirement: 'Not Right Now'
April 26, 2022
Former Villanova men's basketball coach Jay Wright said he isn't looking to make a jump to the NBA after his recent retirement, but the door is open in the future.
"Not right now," Wright told ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill & Max on Tuesday (via ESPN.com).
The 60-year-old said a move to the NBA was "something I always thought about," and indicated it could be an option down the line.
"Right now I definitely need a break," Wright said Tuesday. "Right now I'm looking forward to this [special assistant] position at Villanova. But honestly, down the road, I'd be lying—I don't know what I'm going to feel like."
Wright spent 21 years at Villanova before announcing his retirement last week.
"I started to feel like I didn't have the edge that I've always had," Wright told reporters at his press conference Friday.
NBA teams will likely keep an eye on the situation, however, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting there has been "significant NBA interest" in Wright in recent years.
The Pennsylvania native led the Wildcats to two national championships in 2016 and 2018 as well as two other trips to the Final Four, including this past season. Counting his time at Hofstra, he had a 642-282 career record as a college coach.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wright has coached a number of current NBA players, including Kyle Lowry, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Saddiq Bey. He also has experience with some of the biggest stars in the league as an assistant with Team USA at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Summer Olympics.
It could allow for an easy transition to the NBA if he ever gets the motivation to return to the sidelines.