Will Boston Celtics Executive Brad Stevens Ever Return to Coaching?

Notre Dame head basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry says yes...with a caveat

Nick Shepkowski | Oct 10, 2024

Mar 22, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts to a call from the sideline as they take on the Indiana Pacers in the second quarter at TD Garden. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has been a star coach at every level he's coached.

Butler University thrived under Stevens, twice making it all the way to the NCAA Tournament national championship game. In six seasons at Butler, Stevens led the Bulldogs to five NCAA appearances and won more than 77% of his games. Following the 2012-13 season, Stevens left Butler to take the head coaching job with the Boston Celtics.

In his time on the Celtics bench the team made three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in eight seasons. Following the 2020-21 campaign, Stevens left the coaching post to take over as the team's President of Basketball Operations.

This past season the Celtics won their first NBA Championship since 2008 under the guidance of Stevens.

Will Brad Stevens Ever Return to Coaching?

Would Stevens ever leave his current post with the Celtics to get back on a bench?

Notre Dame head basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry has long work history with Stevens was asked about that at ACC Media Day and pretty clear said yes.

Exactly what kind of coaching that would entail though is an entirely different story.

"Will Brad Stevens ever coach again?"

"...... Yes" - @Coach_Shrews

"Ohhhh you just opened up a big can of worms" 😂@accmbb Media Day LIVE ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/udTBr2axF3 pic.twitter.com/OOEOEDo0Pr
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) October 10, 2024

I can't speak from the side of making the transition from coach to executive. However, I can only imagine it's a different kind of competitiveness that comes across from the two positions.

The move back to spending life on a bench seems like an unlikely career path, but I certainly would like to see Stevens follow Shrewsberry's suggestion and join the Notre Dame staff.

When you're as great at something as Stevens clearly was the questions will always be there but from 50,000 feet my money would be that the coaching isn't in the NBA or in major college basketball.