McKie standing on the shoulders of giants

In college, McKie's coach at Temple was Naismith Hall of Fame inductee John Chaney.

Two seasons into his NBA career, McKie was traded from Portland to the Detroit Pistons, who had a basketball genius who was in his second incarnation as a coach - Doug Collins.

After one season with Collins, who in 1973 was picked by the 76ers with the first overall pick in the NBA draft, McKie was sent home to Philly, where he was coached by Larry Brown, another Hall of Fame selection, for five seasons.

McKie played the last two of his 13 NBA seasons with the

Los Angeles Lakers, and was coached by Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA championships as a coach.

With so much basketball knowledge imparted to him by so many great basketball minds, how could McKie not pass that wisdom along through a post-playing career as a coach himself?

"Whenever I speak at a basketball function, I always say how blessed I was to have such great coaches," said McKie, who in his fourth season as a Sixers assistant coach. "I had Hall of Fame coaches at every level - high school, college, pro.

"But it's not just about having great coaches. You have to be receptive to the teaching. A lot of times, in this era now, a lot of players are not receptive to teaching."

Being so close to his playing career might be the biggest benefit McKie brings to the Sixers' staff. McKie, 39, who played eight seasons in Philadelphia, was a still a Sixer when Andre Iguodala was a rookie in 2004-05.

All of the current Sixers know of the contributions McKie made during the Allen Iverson era.

He's more tuned in to today's player because he is not that far removed from being a player himself.

"Aaron's the assistant that relates to the guys," Iguodala said. "He's going to tell you like it is, which is what guys really want and need.

"He wants to see you play the right way. Guys have seen him go through this. We know he knows what it's like. I think guys look up to him, because he gives you the truth of the situation."

Like a lot of players, McKie wasn't really thinking about coaching during his playing career. But when then-coach Maurice Cheeks asked him to join his staff in 2007-08, McKie took him up on it.

He caught the coaching bug immediately.

"My coaches had always told me that I would do well as a coach because of my demeanor, how I deal with people and my approach to the game," McKie said. "But it wasn't something I had planned at all.

"I just never saw myself doing it. But towards the end of my career, I'd always find myself talking to younger players about situations and trying to help them through it.

"But when you're playing, you never think of that in terms of it being coaching."

Although Cheeks was fired, McKie stayed on the staff of Tony DiLeo and then that of Eddie Jordan.

When Collins took over the Sixers last season, McKie was the only assistant from the old staff that he retained.

"I just like what Aaron stands for," Collins said. "First off, he's a good person. He is a great teacher and has a great rapport with our guards.

"I think he's been very influential and is a good sounding board for a lot of our players. I think they have ultimate respect for him."

Because he's still close to his playing days, McKie is able to take a more physically active role in coaching with the Sixers.