Nate Oats admits NBA 'intrigues' him, plans to stay at Alabama 'right now'

Alabama head coach Nate Oats has the program as high as it has ever been fresh off a Final Four appearance. Folks in Tuscaloosa have invested a ton into basketball, being enough to keep Oats for the long haul. At this point, other big-time college jobs are not what may take him away from the Crimson Tide.

Oats admits coaching in the NBA “intrigues” him down the road. He runs an NBA-style system with Alabama and gets a ton of praise for the results produced. Franchises might come calling but with his family settled in after five seasons, there are no immediate plans to leave.

“The NBA intrigues me for sure,” Oats said in an interview with Jon Rothstein. “Training camps open up this week in the NBA, and our staff is going to split up around the country and learn different concepts and bring them back. But I’ve got three daughters.

“I think the college coaching lifestyle makes it more conducive to being a good father. You’re not on the road like you are all the time in the NBA. I’m happy where I am right now. We love it at Alabama. I’m going to continue to study the NBA, but we love it here right now.”

There has been a massive NBA influence on the Alabama coaching staff in recent times. Two offseasons in a row has Oats gone up to the professional level and brought an assistant back with him. Ryan Pannone worked for the New Orleans Pelicans before joining in 2022 while Brian Adams was hired this offseason after being with the Detroit Pistons.

We did see an NBA team heavily pursue a college coach this offseason. UConn‘s Dan Hurley was linked with the Los Angeles Lakers job and got deep into the process before turning them down. Of course, Hurley has a little more silverware in his locker than Oats, winning the past national championships with the Huskies.

Oats would like to bring back a couple titles of his own with Alabama. Maybe once those accomplishments are checked off and the family gets through high school, Oats can have serious thoughts about becoming an NBA coach.

For now, 100% of his attention is on the long-term success of his current job where the Crimson Tide are a favorite to be the preseason No. 1 overall team. Not a bad gig at all.