When Steve Nash was officially named the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, it didn’t take long for the Dirk Nowitzki’s name to pop up in the assistant coaching conversation.
The two spent six years together in Dallas, as they took the Mavericks from being a bottom of the barrel team — which they were for almost all of the 90s — into a playoff team that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2002-03.
But while Nash is ready to take the next step in his post-playing life, Nowitzki has barely been able to enjoy retirement. The big man’s last year in the NBA was 2018-19 — which was a factor in Nowitzki not taking advantage of the opportunity to join Nash.
However, the future Hall of Famer told Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News there was another reason he didn’t join Nash — and may never if the Hall of Fame point guard keep his current job.
“I don’t know if I could do it anywhere but here. That’s of course first. 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.”