As LeBron James likely nears the end of his NBA career within the next couple of years, is there a chance that the future Hall of Famer would return to the league as a coach, and if so, which team would he want to lead?
This was a question asked by a fan during the Mind the Game podcasts's burning questions episode with James and Steve Nash, an NBA star-turned-coach. Nash's tenure as an NBA coach with the Brooklyn Nets from 2020 to '22 was seen as somewhat of a failure, though, so he was understandably against the idea of James potentially hurting his legacy by becoming a coach in the future. "Please don't coach," Nash told him.
Luckily for the duo, James seemed to be on the same page.
"There's no way, no way, guys," James said while laughing. "It ain't happening. No team. Zero chance."
There's been a fair share of NBA players turned coaches in league history, with some of the most notable being Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, Pat Riley and even James's current coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, JJ Redick. But, none of them had a playing career quite like James's in the NBA. The major stars don't tend to become coaches later on.
Look at Michael Jordan, for example. He's stayed away from the NBA coaching, but owned the Charlotte Hornets and will make his media debut this upcoming fall after it was announced he'll be working for NBC after it obtained NBA rights. Maybe James will return in a similar capacity, by becoming a commentator like Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have done.
James still has to figure out the rest of his NBA playing career, though, before he can focus on what will come after.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Gives Definitive Answer on Whether He'll Enter Coaching After He Retires.
