Mark Pope from Kentucky has a funny answer to why he’s not going to become a doctor.

The head basketball coach at Kentucky has had a crazy life. He played college basketball at the University of Washington, which is close to where he went to high school in Bellevue, Washington. Then he moved on to Kentucky and won a national title as a player under head coach Rick Pitino. He went on to play in the NBA after college. The Indiana Pacers picked him in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Pope played in the NBA for six years, spanning two different time periods. He played for four different teams, making him something of a “journeyman.” In between NBA stops, he played for the CBA and even in Turkey. He chose to become a doctor when he thought his time in the NBA was over, or maybe it was already over for him. From 2006 to 2007, he went to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. A picture of his college ID that went popular is still being shared on social media.

He would then study for three years to get ready for this path in life. After that, Mark Fox, who used to be his assistant coach at UW and is now his head coach, would call him and ask him to join his basketball coaching team in Georgia.

This is the start of his journey as a coach, which took him to Utah Valley, BYU, and now Kentucky. He’s doing a great job because he’s quickly made Kentucky a great place, and everyone in Big Blue Nation is thrilled about it.

On Pope’s weekly call-in radio show, a caller said, “I’m thankful you didn’t become a doctor.” This thing is at the top of Pope’s list of things he’s grateful for. Pope laughed and replied, “My friend, there are a lot of patients in America who are saying the same thing you are.” People will enjoy this funny answer, but it also shows that Pope knows he was meant to be a teacher and is grateful for that.