![Florida head coach Todd Golden celebrates their 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M during the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_76,w_2708,h_1523/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01ks88z8p1219s5qdv51.jpg "Florida head coach Todd Golden celebrates their 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M during the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
When the season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the Florida Gators, head coach Todd Golden probably didn't think he would be fielding calls from the NBA. Florida fans suddenly feared losing the head coach who brought the first championship back to Gainesville since the Billy Donovan era.
Golden was seriously being looked at by the Golden State Warriors, especially if head coach Steve Kerr was going to step down. The connections were there for Golden from his time with the University of San Francisco, and Florida fans saw what could have unfolded.
The good news is that Golden stated how much he wanted to be at Florida, and in case there were still any doubters, Golden just reassured the Gators in a recent interview with The Field of 68.
"I'm never gonna close the door on the NBA," Golden said. "The NBA is an incredible honor. That's something that I could see down the road. But imminently, I'm really happy at Florida."
ICYMI: Todd Golden on his name coming up in potential NBA job openings 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) May 20, 2026
"I'm never gonna close the door on the NBA. The NBA is an incredible honor. That's something that I could see down the road. But imminently, I'm really happy at Florida."
🎥: https://t.co/7cVkDDr3U1 pic.twitter.com/F163D6Ld46
Golden sees what he has at Florida and isn't ready to up and leave for the NBA
No team in college basketball got as much of a return from this past season as Florida did. Golden got news that stars Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh would forget the NBA Draft and return to Florida, and just yesterday, Rueben Chinyelu announced he was withdrawing from the NBA Draft.
That is three starters returning for Florida, three players who were a part of the National Championship-winning team. Those three players alone are what make Florida most likely the No. 1 team in the country going into the season. Golden knows that that means and isn't ready to give that up for the NBA.
Golden knows that he has another shot to win a National Championship with this team next season, but that isn't the sole reason he can make the NBA wait. It is what he sees coming next that truly excites him and keeps him in Florida.
"It was hard work to get to this position," Golden said. "We're obviously going to lose a lot after this next season, but I am really excited about a lot of the young guys that we were able to keep within our program...really, really talented freshmen that we got back."
The joy of the young group behind the stars is what is keeping Golden in Gainesville right now. The potential of what the young guys can bring to this program once Hough, Condon, and Chinyelu are gone is massive. Golden was able to survive the transfer portal without huge losses, and the future is bright for Florida basketball.
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