Mike D’Antoni stepping away from role with Nets, not retiring

Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni is stepping away from his full-time role as a member of Steve Nash‘s staff in Brooklyn, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Wojnarowski’s use of the term “full-time” leaves the door open to the possibility that D’Antoni will still act as a consultant for Brooklyn or another team on a part-time basis. It’s unclear whether or not that’s in the cards, but Woj says that D’Antoni isn’t retiring and is expected to pursue NBA head-coaching jobs again in the future.

D’Antoni sought a head-coaching position this offseason and was a finalist for the Trail Blazers’ job, which eventually went to Chauncey Billups. A report in early June suggested D’Antoni had also received interest from Boston and Orlando, although there was no indication he was a serious contender for either job.

D’Antoni, whose most recent head-coaching gig was with the Rockets up until 2020, has coached five different NBA teams and ranks 21st on the league’s all-time list with 672 regular-season wins. However, at age 70, he might be running out of time to get another shot. Only two head coaches in NBA history – including current Spurs coach Gregg Popovich – have remained on the sidelines into their 70s, according to HoopsHype.