Getty Images Lakers star LeBron James is not ready to talk about his plans for next season.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in strong pursuit of two-time defending NCAA National Champion coach Dan Hurley of UConn to lead their sideline, and it appears star player LeBron James may be on board with the drastic pivot.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported via X on Thursday, June 6, that the Lakers are “targeting” Hurley and “are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer” to make him the franchise’s next head coach.
Wojnarowski also said that James has been “impressed” with Hurley’s offensive tactics at the collegiate level, which the NBA insider implied could have benefits if L.A. decides to select James’ eldest son, Bronny James, somewhere in the upcoming draft.
“As for the Lakers’ stars, LeBron James has been impressed with Hurley’s sophisticated offensive actions,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Assuming James returns to L.A. in free agency, the possibility of using the 55th overall pick in this month’s NBA draft on USC freshman guard Bronny James makes Hurley an even more intriguing candidate. If that happens, James gets a chance to play with his son and the benefit of Hurley and his staff becoming responsible for Bronny‘s pro development.”
In April, LeBron James praised Hurley and his assistants in a response to a social media post from JJ Redick.
@jj_redick He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it
“He’s so DAMN GOOD!!!” James wrote on X. “Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it.”
JJ Redick Was Among Likely Candidates for Lakers Job
Getty Former NBA player JJ Redick currently works as a broadcaster for ESPN.
That James’ praise for Hurley came on one of Redick’s social media posts adds a layer of intrigue to the Lakers’ decision to target the UConn coach so aggressively for their open position.
That is, in part, because James is not just a co-host with Redick on the duo’s “Mind The Game” podcast that launched in March 2024 but because Redick was among the frontrunners for the Lakers job prior to Wojnarowksi’s reporting on Thursday morning.
As of Thursday, James had not publicly voiced support for Redick, though Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Redick was the leader in the clubhouse when it came to Los Angeles’ next hire.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are zeroing in on JJ Redick as the front-runner to be the franchise’s next head coach, league and media industry sources told The Athletic,” Charania wrote on June 4.
Dan Hurley Has No Experience as an NBA Head Coach
GettyHead coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies.
Hurley has never been an NBA head coach, though he does have 14 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level.
He started with Wagner in the Northeast Conference 2010-11, remaining there for two years before leaving for Rhode Island and the Atlantic 10 Conference. He served as the head coach there for six seasons before moving over to the University of Connecticut, per Basketball Reference.
Hurely joined UConn in 2018 and led the team to its first winning season in 2019-20 as well as national titles in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns — “the first back-to-back champion in UConn history and third in the last 40 years of the NCAA Tournament,” according to the school’s website. In 2024 he was named both Naismith College Coach of the Year and BIG EAST Coach of the Year, his bio says.
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