Rick Pitino: 'If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've never left Kentucky'

Rick Pitino reflected on his coaching career and played a little revisionist history with Kentucky. Pitino won a national title in 1996 and led the Wildcats to a runner-up finish the next year before leaving for the Boston Celtics.

That move changed the trajectory of his coaching career. When it didn’t work out in Boston, he returned to college with Louisville and had a long, successful tenure.

Joining Pardon My Take, Pitino said he would change some things if given that opportunity again.

“I was offered about seven or eight pro jobs before the Celtics, obviously I was the Knick coach, and that’s a dream for me being a New Yorker, but hindsight is 2020,” Pitino said. ‘If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably never leave Kentucky. You know, Dick Vitale, every time I speak to him, ‘if you would have stayed at Kentucky, you’d have more wins than any coach,’ and you think back on that. 

“But I learned a lot. To coach the Boston Celtics, even if you didn’t do a great job, it’s just too much. You know, you got Red Auerbach, you got Bill Russell,  Havlicek … and so many greats. It was worth the experience. But if I had to do it all over again, I had a choice, I probably would have stayed in Kentucky.”

Pitino was memorable in one way with Boston, his press conference referencing Larry Bird. The coach finished his time with the Celtics 192-220, with two playoff appearances, but was fired during the 2000-01 season.

“Larry Bird’s not walking through that door,” Pitino said at the time referring to the Celtics’ struggles. The press conference moment is still remembered today.

“I know. It’s great. The only probably good thing I’ve ever done in Boston,” Pitino said. “I didn’t know 25 years later you’d still be playing it.”

Pitino went 219-50 during his time at Kentucky, winning a national title and making it to the Final Four three times.

Once he returned to college with Louisville, he found a lot of success early on. He finished his time with the Cardinals with a 293-140 record, including a national title in 2013.

However, a lot of wins were vacated by the NCAA amid a “pay for play” scandal. After a brief stint overseas, Pitino returned to college again with Iona in 2020-21. He won two conference titles and made it to the NCAA Tournament twice with the Gaels, going 64-22.

Currently, Pitino is 20-12 with St. John’s and the Red Storm are on the NCAA Tournament bubble.