Carmelo Anthony Discloses the Strange Reason That Would Keep Him From Being a Good NBA Coach

Coaching in the NBA is not an easy job. Expectations are high, and patience is low. We saw this past season that no coach is ever really safe, as Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone were fired with just a few games left in the regular season. We saw it last year when Adrian Griffin was let go after presiding over a 30-13 start. Coaches need to craft winning game plans while handling the egos of star players and distributing minutes in a way that appeases everyone on the roster.

Carmelo Anthony is an all-time great player, and he’s enjoyed his post-playing career. Melo hosts the highly successful 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, and he’s set to join NBC as a studio analyst later this year. That gig will begin shortly after his September induction into the Hall of Fame.

For the time being, Melo’s not looking to add more to his plate. Still, when asked on a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George whether or not he’d ever take a front office job, his long hesitation and smile seemed to indicate that he might, even if it is a “tough” job, in his words.

There’s one position he wouldn’t be interested in, though. “Here’s why I won’t never be a coach,” Melo said. “For me to coach you, my standards are way too high, so I don’t feel like I would be a really good coach because my passion for the game would get in the way.”

Anthony is convinced that “I don’t think anybody at that age, especially a younger age, would know how to accept that passion coming from me.”

Melo’s surprising admission may have a lot of truth to it

Not many Hall-of-Fame players have transitioned to successful coaches, especially in recent times. Steve Nash barely lasted more than two seasons. Chauncey Billups is nearly 100 games under .500 in four seasons with the Blazers, though he did recently earn a contract extension. Jason Kidd reached the Finals last year but has just two 50-win seasons in nine years.

Being a great player doesn’t equate to being a great coach, and it might be for the reason Melo said. Three of the four coaches still alive in the playoffs — Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch and Tom Thibodeau — didn’t play in the NBA. Rick Carlisle did, but he averaged only 2.2 points over 188 career games.

Melo does think he could be of value to an NBA team in one way, as he laid out nearly two months ago on his podcast.

Melo grew up in Baltimore, so getting a piece of the nearby Wizards would make sense. If he did, he’d join fellow Class of 2003 draftee Dwyane Wade in ownership circles, as the former Miami Heat star has been a minority owner of the Utah Jazz since 2021. The top pick in that draft, LeBron James, has also expressed an interest in owning a team after his playing career concludes and has been connected to a possible expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

For now, NBA fans will have to enjoy Melo through his podcast while we await his introduction on NBC in the fall.