Jay Wright emerged as a rumored target of the New York Knicks’ head coaching search in the days following the organization’s decision to part ways with Tom Thibodeau. But on Saturday, those rumors were officially put to bed by Wright’s CBS colleague, Seth Davis.
All along, Davis has been one of the first media members to largely dismiss any real possibility of the former Villanova coach having any interest in the job. In a post on X on Tuesday, Davis explained that he hasn’t seen any indications in three years of working alongide Wright in the CBS studio that he had any intention of returning to coaching.
On Saturday, Davis confirmed that the two-time national champion coach will remain retired after he spoke with Knicks team president Leon Rose.
Notably, Wright was never even offered the job outright or asked for an interview, which may have been because he was clear that he plans to stay in broadcasting.
“BREAKING: Jay Wright has confirmed to me that he has informed the Knicks that he is not interested in any coaching position and plans to remain retired,” wrote Davis on X.
BREAKING: Jay Wright has confirmed to me that he has informed the Knicks that he is not interested in any coaching position and plans to remain retired.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) June 7, 2025
“Jay confirmed that he and his good friend Leon Rose discussed the position briefly but he was never offered the job or asked to interview. He simply reiterated that he plans to stay retired.”
Jay confirmed that he and his good friend Leon Rose discussed the position briefly but he was never offered the job or asked to interview. He simply reiterated that he plans to stay retired. https://t.co/UdV1sWYNXS
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) June 7, 2025
At 63 years of age, it’s not exactly a surprise that Wright doesn’t want to return to coaching. Still, we have seen recently with Bill Belichick that it is possible to return to coaching after briefly stepping away to pursue broadcasting.
The Knicks also have three of Wright’s former Villanova players on the team in Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. So it was at least an intriguing possibility to make the “Nova Knicks” even more Villanova-centric with Jay Wright on the staff.
So if this job wasn’t enough to entice the CBS Sports college basketball analyst back to the sidelines, it’s hard to imagine any other offer could.