Longtime NBA forward Tayshaun Prince will be transitioning to a front office role for the upcoming season, according to Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who reports that the Grizzlies will soon name Prince a special assistant to general manager Chris Wallace.
According to Tillery, the Grizzlies think that Prince will bring a “unique” perspective to the club’s decision-making process. The Commercial Appeal report notes that the veteran forward has long been considered a strong influence in NBA locker rooms, and was a “calming voice” during his time as a player for the Grizzlies.
Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press had initially reported last month that Prince was mulling the possibility of joining the Grizzlies in a front office or coaching capacity. At that time, the 37-year-old was also said to be holding out hope for a possible on-court return, but it appears a comeback wasn’t in the cards for the 14-year veteran.
Prince, the 23rd overall pick in the 2002 draft, spent nearly a decade with the Pistons after breaking into the NBA, winning a title with the franchise in 2004. After his time in Detroit, Prince had stints with the Grizzlies, Celtics, Timberwolves, and Pistons (again). However, he didn’t play last season, having last appeared in an NBA game in 2015/16 for Minnesota.
If Prince doesn’t play another NBA game, he’ll finish his career having averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.4 APG in more than 1,000 career games, including 792 with the Pistons.
If he could put in one more season that would be pretty cool
Good for him! Outside of any Mavs player, he was my favorite player in the league for a while! Loved playing as him on NBA2K and posting triple doubles all the time! A great utility man that could do it all!!