Dusty May is just two months away from his NBA coaching debut with the Dallas Mavericks. It's part of a whirlwind for May the last few months after he left college basketball for the NBA in late June to coach Cooper Flagg on the Dallas Mavericks. His decision came months after he led Michigan to the national championship in April. So why leave after reaching the sport's mountaintop and boasting a preseason top-10 team? In an interview with The Athletic, the ex-Wolverines coach cited he changes to college basketball – particularly the ongoing challenges surrounding the transfer portal and NIL – that he saw as "irreversible." The Big Ten meetings, in particular, shined a light on certain aspects of college athletics.
"I was so excited for Big Ten meetings, like, 'We’re going to find some solutions,'" May told The Athletic. "I go there and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, nothing’s getting fixed. Ever.'" That appeared to be just the tip of the iceberg in May's thinking process that led him to become the first college basketball coach to leave for the NBA since John Beilein. He’ll be the first coach since Larry Brown in 1988 to win a national title and then coach another team the next season.
He also noted that fundraising and administrative responsibilities were consuming much of his time, pulling his focus away from the aspects of the game he loved. "I just spent so much more of my time doing everything but coaching," May said. He added on the transfer portal: "Even when you sign, you’re not really signed; to me is the biggest issue." May, who led mid-major Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023, led the Wolverines to a 64-13 record in two seasons. He also brought a pair of Big Ten championships, including a conference tournament title in 2025, to Ann Arbor in his short yet successful stint. SHAWN WINDSOR: Dusty May dropped clues to his departure – they were there all along
Moore noted the Mavericks fit May's criteria and boxes for taking an NBA job, including president Masai Ujiri's track record as a championship-winning executive from his days with the Toronto Raptors; May's relationship with general manager Mike Schmitz; and the chance to coach Flagg, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year. It's why, when the Wolverines – who were on the precipice of another new contract extension with May in the spring after his name was tossed into the North Carolina head coaching mix – asked what they could do for May to return, he responded: “I don’t think there is anything." At the Big Ten spring meetings, May told USA TODAY Sports' Jordan Mendoza there were "minor details" being adjusted between Michigan and his party in terms of his contract extension. He said he was committed to staying with the Wolverines, though a contract had not been signed yet. In his interview with The Athletic, May also offered his suggestions to resolve the issues in college basketball. “Collective bargaining in some way, shape or form needs to happen," May said. “And No. 2, figure out a way to make contracts binding. "Like, you can’t have a kid sign at this Big Ten school on a Friday and then go on an official visit the next day and sign at another Big Ten school for twice the money on Tuesday. It just can’t be like that. If they are gonna sign rev-share contracts and they’re gonna sign NIL contracts, let’s at least make those binding." Finally, May was asked whether he could ever see himself returning to college basketball one day. "I hope not, because that would mean I did (expletive) here," May said. "I’d like to win and stay." [ MUST WATCH: Make "Hail Yes!" your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dusty May left Michigan for NBA after Big Ten meeting shined a light