Brad Stevens removes himself from consideration for high-profile college position
It looks like the Celtics executive is plenty comfortable upstairs.
Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens throws a behind the back pass to one of his players before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Every year since Brad Stevens left his spot on the Celtics bench and moved upstairs to a front office role, his name circulates among the college ranks when a prestigious position opens up. This March has been no different as the University of North Carolina had Stevens at the top of its list of candidates.
It appears that Boston’s president of basketball operations is plenty comfortable on Causeway Street.
According to CBS Sports, Stevens has already removed himself from consideration from the job less than 12 hours after the Tar Heels fired former head coach Hubert Davis.
Stevens is no stranger to the attention he receives from many of the top programs in the NCAA. The former Butler coach has reportedly turned down the Indiana job on three separate occasions since he arrived in Boston.
While Stevens is only 49 years old and the thought that he could one day return to the sidelines isn’t far-fetched, his current position and the state of the Celtics has to make any job offered to him pretty much a non-starter.
Not to mention that Stevens has become one of, if not the best executive in the league, and is the front-runner for the Executive of the Year award. Stevens already won the award once after assembling Boston’s 2024 championship roster.
If you were the best in the world at what you do at the peak of the sport — would you leave to travel the country recruiting 16 year olds?
The answer is no, which is the same answer Stevens has given every school that has called him for 13 years.
If Stevens did want a job like North Carolina, he would have taken it back in 2013 after taking Butler to back-to-back National Championships. But after making the jump to the NBA, combined with the state of college athletics with NIL, it makes it hard to believe he would ever go back to college.
The calls will continue to come from every level and every team that thinks they will be the one to bring Stevens back to the court. Whether it's Kansas, the Lakers or St. John’s, they all want Stevens, but it sure looks like he has made himself plenty comfortable in Boston.
