Last month, the Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash to become their next head coach. After signing on with the Nets, Nash began to build a staff and turned to former Dallas Mavericks teammate Dirk Nowitzki.
However, Nowitzki turned down an opportunity to hop on board and coach with Nash. Dirk told Brad Townshend of the Dallas Morning News why he passed on the chance.
Via the Morning News:
"First of all, I don't know if I could do it anywhere but here. Second, I just think the timing is not right. I love being with the family. I'm so over basketball at this point that it wasn't even a thought for me."
Nash and Nowitzki played together from 1998 until 2004 with the Mavericks, so there is a strong basketball connection there. Nowitzki announced his retirement following the 2018-19 season and played his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks.
According to Townshend, Nowitzki does have a standing offer from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to come back to the team in any capacity if he chooses to. However, as Nowitzki told the Dallas Morning News, he enjoys time with his family now and rarely thinks about the NBA.
But despite not wanting to be a coach alongside Nash, Nowitzki believes that his old teammate is going do special things in Brooklyn.
"(Nash) was always the first one to slap people on the butts when things weren't working," Nowitzki said. "To me, he was one of the most positive teammates I've ever been around. I think he's going to be great. He'll learn more about the timeout situations, play-calling and stuff like that, but he already has what it takes to be a natural leader to me."
Nash doesn't have any coaching experience but he did spend time in a consultant role with the Warriors when Kevin Durant -- now with the Nets -- was with Golden State.
