LeBron James And The Lakers Just Got Bad News

LeBron James and the Lakers just got bad news.

Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers asked Dan Hurley, head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies, to become the next head coach of the Lakers basketball team.

Hurley, coming off back-to-back championships with the Huskies, declined the offer to be the next coach of LeBron James.

In a statement, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont stated, “Our MVP Coach is staying in CT.”

BREAKING: Connecticut’s Dan Hurley has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer and will return to chase a third straight national title, sources tell ESPN. LA would’ve made him one of NBA’s six highest paid coaches. pic.twitter.com/hEXo3o00SR

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024

.@shannonsharpe says Dan Hurley declined the Lakers' HC offer because the money wasn't right.

"If you want someone … to leave the current job that they're in, you've got to make them an offer they can't refuse." pic.twitter.com/EBQeDX6kSL

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 11, 2024

Check out what AP reported:

The Los Angeles Lakers offered Dan Hurley what would have seemed like a basketball coach’s dream: a chance to coach one of the world’s most popular franchises, possibly an opportunity to work with LeBron James and a salary that would have doubled his current one.

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Hurley passed.

He’s staying at Connecticut, he said Monday, turning down the Lakers and ending several days of speculation about his future. The lure of trying to win a third consecutive NCAA championship with the Huskies, evidently, was just too strong.

“Our MVP Coach is staying in CT,” Gov. Ned Lamont posted on social media.

ESPN first reported Hurley’s decision, plus was first to report last week that he was a serious candidate for the Lakers job. Hurley met with Lakers officials — owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka among them — in Los Angeles on Friday, then spent the weekend weighing his options.

Dan Hurley Embarrassing The Lakers And Making Them Look Like Fools Is AWESOME For College Basketball https://t.co/BBu0NQasRg pic.twitter.com/7SRDAwN0vi

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 11, 2024

Per CBS:

Dan Hurley has said no to the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley turned down the Lakers’ offer to be their next head coach and will stay put at the University of Connecticut, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported Monday afternoon. Hurley, who has won back-to-back national championships at UConn, turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from one of the NBA’s marquee franchises, per ESPN.

With Hurley off of the table, the Lakers will likely turn their attention back toward the two coaches that have thus far featured most prominently in their search: ESPN broadcaster JJ Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego. Prior to the reporting on Hurley, Redick had reportedly been the frontrunner for the Lakers job, with the team viewing him as a “Pat Riley-like coaching prospect.” He currently hosts a podcast with Lakers star LeBron James called Mind the Game.

As successful as Hurley has been at the college level, coaches making that jump have generally struggled in the NBA. In the past 30 years, eleven college coaches have made the jump from the NCAA to the NBA without prior NBA head-coaching experience, and those coaches have a combined record of 1,483-1,797, according to CBS Sports research.