Master P says his dream of being an NBA coach nearly came true with the New Orleans Pelicans ... telling TMZ Sports he was actually up for a job on the NBA team's coaching staff this year.
P sat down with us to talk about his coaching debut later this month in the Global Mixed Gender Basketball league he owns ... but also told us he almost got a shot at the big time.
"I feel like I could help the New Orleans team this year. You know I was up for that job last year as an assistant coach?