PHOENIX – A majority of professional athletes, coaches and staff shift from one city to another during their careers in a sport and whenever they can reunite as time goes by, they embrace each other while going over the memories they share together.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts is already halfway through his first WNBA season in charge, one of his former players he used to coach while in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, center Mason Plumlee, has also arrived in the Valley, signing as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns last Friday.
With Tibbetts as one of the Trail Blazers’ assistant coaches at the time, they spent almost two seasons (2015-17) together in Portland where they made the Western Conference Finals in 2015-16. As the 2016-17 season was inching closer to the end, however, Plumlee was traded to the Denver Nuggets in a deal including now-current Suns teammate Jusuf Nurkić going the other way.
The two crossed paths on Monday at the Mercury/Suns practice facility, the Verizon 5G Performance Center, before Plumlee was about to have his introductory press conference and they ran into each other once again.
When talking about Tibbetts and how he was as a coach, Plumlee spoke highly of him and has a massive amount of respect for what he has done to get the opportunity he has earned with the Mercury.
“Nate’s great, I walked in and I saw him briefly,” Tibbetts said. “I have always been a fan of his, and I am glad to see him with a head [coaching] job, very deserving. No matter where he is, he is going to be a really good coach for a very long time.”
"I am glad to see him with a head job, very deserving."
At Mason Plumlee's introductory press conference for the #Suns, our @AlecCipollini asked him about his relationship with Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts when they were both on the Portland Trail Blazers.#ValleyTogether #WNBA pic.twitter.com/6Eb2etdY3m
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) July 8, 2024
The next day, Tibbetts shared at the Mercury’s practice on Tuesday that the respect is mutual and he is excited for Suns fans to watch a hard-working player of his caliber contribute to the team next season.
“Mase is a special guy,” Tibbetts said. “I think the Suns fans are going to love how hard he plays. Each possession matters to him. [He’s a] great passer, he’ll do whatever it takes, he is a winning player. I think it is really cool with him and [Monte] Morris back together, they were a pretty good 1-2 punch in Denver with the second unit. It was great to see Mase yesterday for sure.”
“Mase is a special guy.”
Our @AlecCipollini asked Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts about Suns free agent signing Mason Plumlee and what he adds to the team.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #NBA pic.twitter.com/1HBQLYD7s7
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) July 9, 2024
As a Trail Blazer, Plumlee averaged 9.9 points, 7.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game along with the likes of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. He played in all 136 games in Portland up until he was traded to Denver. The 22nd pick of the 2013 NBA Draft selected by the Brooklyn Nets has also played for the Charlotte Hornets and, most recently, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Plumlee signed a veteran-minimum contract worth a reported $3.3 million next season, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
The Phoenix Suns will pay Mason Plumlee $3.3 million next season, league sources told @hoopshype. https://t.co/FUEOCjrUar
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 1, 2024
Being able to work with him in the past, Tibbetts knows the mentality Plumlee has and will bode well for what the Suns want to accomplish next year: winning an NBA title.
“He is just a good human being, he’s about the right stuff,” Tibbetts said. “He’s about winning basketball, and that’s what you want when you are talking about winning championships.”
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
