After a player finishes a long successful career, he or she may decide to become a coach. Sports announcers, NBA fans and more say that some of the best players have become the best coaches. I have always wondered if this was an accurate statement. For example some of the best point guards have become really good coaches.Yes players can become coaches, even more so players that become coaches may be the best coaches in the league. Many would  question if coaches playing experience really impacts how they coach.This is an important argument because not every basketball lover will be able to play the game some will need and want to coach the game.

Some of the biggest names and best point guards in basketball history have become successful coaches: Doc Rivers, Mark Jackson, Kevin McHale, Avery Johnson, Larry Bird and Ervin Magic Johnson. These are some of the  to ever play in the NBA. Many of these players have won NBA championships and MVP’s as players. Although Doc Rivers never won any championships as a player, his name goes down in history as not only a very good point guard but a heck of a coach to.

Long time NBA news broadcaster David Aldridge has been quoted saying, “And I saw that the most important thing that Doc Rivers provided was leadership, and the guys were willing to follow him ... if you can't lead people, whether you're the CEO or the basketball coach, the Xs and Os and all the other stuff is important. But if you can't lead them, they're not going to follow you, anyway." Part of being a good NBA player is the leadership aspect of things. Point guards are the players that run the offense. Many would say you could call point guards the coach on the court,all of the names that I  have mentioned were point guards.

Now the question that many basketball analyst have spent many long hours trying to answer is does the experience that you have as a player transfer to the way in which you coach? Personally I think that the experience in the league gives them the experience to lead the players on their teams. Being a basketball player myself I know that when I can relate with my coach I normally trust what they are telling me more often. There are a lot of coaches that were point guards that are now winning championships as coaches. For instance my coach played overseas and the way that he coached us is from his own person experience. Players that become coaches most likely have more of their players respect seeming that a couple of years back they were in their exact shoes.

Another quote that I saw that is important was “I think the most important thing about coaching is that you have to have a sense of confidence about what you're doing. You have to be a salesman, and you have to get your players, particularly your leaders, to believe in what you're trying to accomplish on the basketball floor.” Phil Jackson was a good basketball player but was an even better basketball coach. He has won countless amount of championships and now is the owner of the New York Knicks. Phil Jackson has also been quoted saying that his success as a coach has been because he learned from being a player.

To conclude the real question is does the experience that the coaches gain as a player does it influence the way they coach. I believe that playing in the NBA has some effect on the way you would coach in the NBA. Does playing in the NBA guarantee that  you will be a good coach? No it doesn't but the experience of playing in the league will help you when you become a coach. Being a good coach is based on your leadership.