Report: Chris Paul, Tim Duncan Involved with Wake Forest's Head Coaching Search

Wake Forest called upon the services of Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul and San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan as part of the search to find a new head basketball coach, according to 247Sports' Evan Daniels.

The Demon Deacons announced last week they fired Danny Manning. Daniels reported they will hire Steve Forbes as Manning's replacement. Forbes has spent the past five seasons at East Tennessee State, compiling a 130-43 record.

While it's unclear how much work Paul and Duncan did to vet Forbes specifically, Daniels noted the two interviewed coaching candidates on Zoom.

Duncan played four years for the Demon Deacons, helping them reach the Sweet 16 in 1995 and Elite Eight in 1996.

"We don't make it this far without the people around us," Duncan said in November 2017 as he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. "Wake Forest gave me the opportunity. Coach [Dave] Odom gave me the opportunity, probably to a kid that didn't deserve it. But I made the most of it."

Paul was Wake's starting point guard for two years before making the jump to the NBA. The team reached the Sweet 16 in 2004, his freshman season.

In August 2018, he donated $2.5 million to the program.

By virtue of getting the job, Forbes seemingly received the seal of approval from Duncan and Paul. Getting endorsements from two famous alumni would help him hit the ground running with the fanbase.