Chauncey Billups retired from his playing career in the NBA six years ago and was almost immediately seen as a candidate to one day be a head coach in the league. Now, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Billups is making it clear to teams that he is ready to pursue that opportunity.
According to Haynes, Billups is “fully invested in making the jump (to coaching) a reality” and “teams have now begun the process of researching Billups’ candidacy.”
While earlier this summer other reports indicated Ty Lue could bring Billups on as an assistant if Lue were hired back into the head coaching ranks, now it appears Billups is ready to jump straight to a top job if the opportunity presents itself. Previously, Billups had been in the running to take over for David Griffin as general manager of the Cavaliers in 2017, but ultimately took his name out of consideration. The Timberwolves also reportedly looked at Billups as a replacement for Tom Thibodeau last summer.
In the meantime, Billups has served as an NBA analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports West, where he calls Clippers games locally. Billups also played in the Big 3 for two seasons from 2017-19.
The fan favorite Billups, an NBA champion and five-time All-Star, was known for his savvy all-around game as a player with the Pistons, Nuggets, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Clippers. The 43-year-old’s interest in becoming a coach comes the same day Steve Nash was hired by the Nets.
With Nash taking the Nets job, there are openings in New Orleans, Indiana, and Philadelphia. Notably, three of the four coaches who have been dismissed or replaced this offseason already are Black, while Billups’ candidacy adds to a broad list of qualified Black candidates around the NBA this offseason.