Villanova Basketball: Is Jay Wright possibly headed for the NBA or Broadcasting?
By Bryan Mauro
Jay Wright rumors to the NBA
The rumors to the NBA were not just pulled from the clouds by a fan who wanted the coach at Villanova. There is some substance there as back in 2018, in an interview the former Villanova coach did say the NBA was intriguing to him because he would enjoy the challenge.
However, he keeps coming back and saying that he would never give up what he had built at Villanova and everything else that he had. Wright was never a coach who cared much about the money he was making; he was coaching because he loved it and he loved to win. That is why not even NBA money could lure him from what he had and what he had built at Villanova.
The Lakers are not the only job he has been rumored to be in the running for either. In 2018, many thought the Knicks would come calling as well but just like what is going to happen now, he turned them down. If the Lakers or anyone else gauges interest it would be very shocking to see Wright go that route. One of Wright’s very good friends in the media is Dana O’Neil. Dana is a writer for the Athletic and she has been quoted as saying “I would be Shocked if he headed to the NBA, Coach Wright made it abundantly clear to me that Villanova was his last and final coaching stop.”
Coach Wright is retiring, not going to the NBA but being done with basketball altogether. That is my opinion, but it also has some pretty good evidence that he is done. Coach Wright just recently turned 60 years old, which is part of the reason why the rumors about the NBA began.
His age was a big factor being that many would consider him still in the prime of his coaching career. He also has a family that he likes to spend a ton of time with. There is a lot out there that has been printed about how much Wright spent coaching his kid’s games and taking family vacations and spending time with his grandkids in the offseason.
The other thing was he was still focusing on recruiting, game planning, and creating a schedule for Villanova at the same time. He was never able to fully commit to his family because he always had obligations for the Wildcats. He wants to sit back, not have to coach and spend time with his family and his lovely wife Pattie.