Dan Hurley turns down Lakers gig, will return to UConn seeking third straight National Title
The decision we’ve all been waiting for! Roughly 72 hours after it was reported that reigning two-time national champion UConn head coach Dan Hurley was the top candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Hurley has turned down the job and will return to the Huskies.
Hurley, 51, was reportedly a deal by Los Angeles for six years worth $70 million, which would’ve made him one of the NBA’s six highest-paid head coaches–in the territory of San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Detroit’s Monty Williams and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra.
This comes days after it was reported by Fox Sports’ John Fanta that the Lakers offered Hurley $100 million, even though it remained unclear how many years the offer was for.
Hurley is college basketball’s top coach right now and, arguably, one of the best coaches–in any profession, at any level–in America.
He won Naismith Coach of the Year in 2023-24, helping secure a second-straight national title with UConn. He’s gone 292-163 in his head coaching career with Wagner, Rhode Island and UConn, making the NCAA Tournament six times with one additional NIT appearance.
The 2023-24 Huskies squad, which finished 37-3, completely dismantled every team in front of them throughout the NCAA Tournament, the most storied tournament in sports. It beat all six of its opponents by 14 or more points, finishing with the tournament’s greatest point differential ever in a single season.
Hurley’s player development and assistant coaching staff–headed by Luke Murray, Kimani Young and Tom Moore–deserve boatloads of credit. Who knows what staff Hurley would’ve built if he took the Lakers gig, but that’s no longer an option.
Onto the next (or JJ Redick), Rob Pelinka.
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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
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