THANKS BUT NO THANKS

UConn Coach Reportedly Turns Down Mega Offer to Coach the Lakers

It would have made Dan Hurley one of NBA’s highest paid coaches.

UConn’s men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has turned down a blockbuster offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Hurley was reportedly offered a six-year, $70 million contract but he opted to instead return to UConn to vie for a third straight national title. After the 2022-23 season, he signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal with UConn. Hurley was “seriously weighing” the Lakers’ offer, Wojnarowski reported last week, but he ultimately decided that he loved what he’d built with UConn’s Huskies. The Lakers have considered other candidates including New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego, former player JJ Redick, Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell, and Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman. Hurley led UConn to back-to-back finals in the NCAA and attracted the attention of Lakers’ veteran LeBron James, who wrote in an X post on April 24, “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their [offense]! Love it.”