P.J. Carlesimo to stay with ESPN, won't pursue 76ers' assistant job

ESPN analyst P.J. Carlesimo, coveted by the Philadelphia 76ers to succeed Mike D'Antoni as associate head coach, has elected to stay in broadcasting for family reasons, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that Carlesimo had strong interest in the Philadelphia post and in reuniting with his former colleague in San Antonio, Sixers head coach Brett Brown, and new Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo, with whom Carlesimo worked in Toronto.

But Carlesimo, sources say, ultimately decided to continue in his dual TV and radio broadcasting roles, which allow him to spend more time with his family.

Carlesimo was Philadelphia's first choice to replace D'Antoni, who joined the Sixers as associate head coach in December and was hired last week to be the head coach of the Houston Rockets.

After a decorated collegiate coaching career, most notably at Seton Hall, Carlesimo served as a head coach in the NBA with Portland, Golden State, Seattle/Oklahoma City and the Nets in addition to stints as an assistant with the Spurs, Raptors and Nets.