As much as fans wanted it to be delayed, the fateful day has finally arrived.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday… from his noon-time basketball league.
Jokes aside, the pickup game has been a staple of Saban’s time with the Crimson Tide as he and a few members of his staff would come together for a midday workout on the court. Saban, who was the self-proclaimed point guard of his teams, mentioned he had to take a step back from the game following his hip surgery in 2019.
“When I got my hip done, I got — to be honest — a little afraid to play because they didn’t want me to play. So I kind of retired,” Saban said when speaking to reporters at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am.
Although he’s hasn’t played in some time now, Saban left the door open for a possible return.
“We haven’t come out of retirement yet, but there is a possibility that may happen in the near future.”
His basketball career may be over for now, but his career of coaching football at Alabama is far from over as Saban wants to keep his day job as long as he’s able to give positive contributions to his players.
“Coach Saban’s here as long as Coach Saban can make a contribution to the team in a positive way, and that’s my commitment to the organization, the university, and the players,” Saban said following the 2021 A-Day game. “If I felt like I couldn’t do the job, for whatever reasons, then I think it would be time for somebody else to do it. So that answers that question. I don’t have a crystal ball, and the way I try to approach things is very process-oriented, OK.”
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
