Pinson no longer playing basketball, has career with ESPN and as a podcaster

As far as his pro basketball career is concern, Theo Pinson has decided to  put a big bow on it and wrap it tight.

So, with basketball now in his rearview mirror, the former Dallas Mavericks has transitioned into a career as a TV color analyst for ESPN. He also has a pair of podcasts — Run Your Race and To The Baha.

Between those three entities, Pinson said a possible return to the NBA – or playing overseas – hasn’t even crossed his mind. So, he has retired from playing pro basketball.

“It’s one of those things where I gave (pro basketball) a good run,” the 29-year old Pinson told Mavs.com. “Last year (for the G League’s Texas Legends) I did everything I possibly could do. I shot the ball well, played well, won games with a young team, had a chance to win in the playoffs in the G League.

“I shot the best I did in my career and didn’t get any (NBA) calls. Nothing. So, I was cool with that.”

Pinson and his fiancée just had a son, Jaylen, born on Nov. 14. They also have a daughter, Alana, who will be three years old in March.

Thus, family obligations also played a significant role in Pinson putting the breaks on continuing his career in basketball.

“I had a chance to go overseas and, of course, make some good money, but I’m making good money doing my podcasts,” Pinson said. “My son was born in November and my daughter is about to be three in March. But I wanted to spend time with them and my fiancée, and I just didn’t want to bring them overseas.

“If I’m making good money here and I’ve got a career that I’m doing well at, I didn’t see any point of me continuing to try to prove myself when I know what type of player I am. I would just have to start — not from ground zero — but I would have to start low. And then it would be, ‘Alright, now we’ll pay you.’  I didn’t really have the energy for that, just to be completely honest.”

Pinson averaged 16.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists last year with the Texas Legends. The North Carolina native played for the Mavs from 2021-23 and was part of that squad which advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Known for his effervesce smile and for being a prankster, Pinson thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Mavs. He noted the people he associated with around the Mavs’ organization is what gave him his fondest memories of playing in Dallas.

“I’ve got no ill-will towards the Mavs,” Pinson said. “(Mavs coach Jason) Kidd and I still talk to this day.

“I love Luka (Dončić), I love (Kyrie Irving), I love all those guys. Spencer (Dinwiddie) is literally like a brother to me, so we still talk to this day.”

And about that magical run to the 2022 conference finals, Pinson said: “Of course that run we had in the playoffs, that was one of the most fun times in my life because no one had really expected us to be there. We had the talent, but no one expected us to be there.

“Of course, everyone hated us, too, because we were causing so much havoc over there. It was some good times.”

A starter on North Carolina’s 2017 NCAA championship team, Pinson ended his NBA career in a blaze of glory. He made his lone NBA start in the final game of the 2022-23 season when the Mavs lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 138-117.

In that game, Pinson registered his only career NBA triple-double as he finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. He played a career-high 40 minutes and was 8-of-16 from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point range and also didn’t have any turnovers.

At that time, Pinson joined Fat Lever (1988), Grant Hill (1996) and James Harden (2021) as the only players in NBA history who generated that many points, rebounds and assists in a game — without committing a turnover.

“I went out with a bang,” Pinson said. “That was a legit triple-double. No turnovers. I did my thing on that one. I was mostly just trying to prove myself. Those are more auditions for guys who are still trying to get on a team, and I thought I did a really good job.

“I was playing the five, playing the point, playing the two, playing the three. I played all the positions you could think of. It was fun. I love that I was able to get a triple-double, and I got it in three quarters, too, which that was crazy, too. I remember being tired afterwards.”

A 2011 gold medal winner with the USA Basketball U16 team, Pinson averaged 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists in 127 career NBA games. Undrafted out of North Carolina in 2018, he spent the 2018-20 seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and the G League’s Long Island Nets.

Pinson also played for the New York Knicks (2020-21), G League’s Maine Celtics (2021), and the Texas Legends 2022-24).

But he insists that (basketball) chapter of his life is over.

Last Saturday, Pinson was at SMU being a color analyst on ESPN for a game between the Mustangs and Georgia Tech. He said the next game he’ll work will be in California between the Golden Bears and Syracuse on Feb. 1 on ESPN2.

“It hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be, but it’s been solid,” Pinson said, of his ESPN work. “I’m already a talker, so that’s not really the hard part. It’s probably more just listening to the producer and knowing what play is coming up.

“But I kind of got the hang of it now, so it’s been good for me, so I’m looking forward to doing more. I think it’s something that I’m kind of just naturally – I’m not trying to be cocky – but I’m naturally good at.”

Meanwhile, Pinson has very high hopes for this season’s Mavericks.

“They’ve got a chance – when healthy,” he said. “I think they did the necessary things they needed to do to make that next step as far as in the playoffs. They got Spencer, they got Klay (Thompson). I said if you go get those guys you got a chance, because I think they’re at their best when they have three guys who can make plays.

“And Spencer knowing the system and playing at that high level that he was when he left the first time, I think they can do the same damage, especially with Kyrie (Irving) and Luka. But they’re just getting killed by the injury bug right now.”

In the meantime, Pinson’s podcasts have been receiving rave reviews. He has the gift of gab, so making money as a talker is right in his wheelhouse.

Pinson does his To The Baha podcast with former Mavs guard Raymond Felton and trainer Tyler Relph, and his Run Your Race podcast solo.

“I had some stuff that I had going for me, so that’s why I was able to stop (playing basketball) now,” Pinson said. “It’s been good.

“I loved my time in Dallas. My family and I still live in Dallas. We plan on being here for the foreseeable future.”

X: @DwainPrice