What if Marcelinho Huertas Ended His Legendary Career to Become Paris Basketball’s Head Coach?
Marcelinho Huertas could be a candidate to replace Julius Thomas if the Paris Basketball head coach decides to pursue an NBA opportunity this summer.
Paris Basketball hasn’t even finished its season yet, but the question of who will coach the team next is already being raised. While Julius Thomas is fully focused on the Betclic ELITE Finals against Monaco, several NBA franchises have inquired about his availability. A departure cannot be ruled out, prompting the capital club to already consider various options.
Among them, one name keeps coming up: Marcelinho Huertas.
A Former Paris Basketball Target
This isn’t a new lead. According to our sources, Paris Basketball had already sounded out Marcelinho Huertas in the summer of 2025. At the time, the Brazilian point guard had just been named MVP of the Liga Endesa after an outstanding season with Tenerife. Despite being 42, he had no intention of retiring and still had one year left on his contract with the Canary Islands club.
A year later, the situation has changed. Huertas is now coming to the end of his contract, and it remains unclear whether he will continue playing.
Yet it’s hard to picture an imminent retirement. At 43, the former NBA player continues to perform at a remarkable level and defy father time, as he proved once again in the Spanish playoff quarterfinals by guiding Tenerife to a surprising elimination of Real Madrid.
Named to the Basketball Champions League All-Decade team, the Brazilian remains one of the most prominent figures in European basketball.
Following in Tiago Splitter’s Footsteps?
The idea of Marcelinho Huertas stepping straight into a head coaching role may seem bold, but it would fit right in with Paris Basketball’s philosophy.
In the summer of 2024, the club already raised eyebrows by handing the reins to Tiago Splitter, who had no prior experience as a head coach. The gamble paid off: the former Brazilian national team big man led Paris to the EuroLeague playoffs before moving on to the NBA.
The connection between Paris and Brazilian basketball is already well established.
In early May, during the Basketball Champions League Final Four, Paris Basketball president David Kahn and Marcelinho Huertas were staying at the same hotel. Without drawing a direct conclusion from that coincidence, it is well known that the American executive travels extensively and reaches out to contacts across European basketball to spot opportunities ahead of the competition.
A Profile That Goes Against Paris’s Style
The main question revolves around playing style.
Since breaking into the top level, Paris Basketball has built its identity around a modern, ultra-fast game based on pace, three-point shooting, and a constant pursuit of transition offense.
As a player, Marcelinho Huertas represents almost the exact opposite. A master of the pick-and-roll, the Brazilian built his career on reading the game, controlling the tempo, and methodically exploiting opposing defenses.
The real question is what his vision would look like from the bench. While contacts around this lead have been confirmed to us on multiple occasions, there is currently no indication that a deal is close — especially since Huertas has never suggested that the 2025-26 season would be his last as a player.
As a side note, Marcelinho Huertas brought his international career with Brazil to a close after their defeat to Team USA in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games… in Paris! Could he be about to begin a new chapter in the City of Light?
Comments