UConn’s Dan Hurley Turns Down Lakers’ Job Offer, per Report

Dan Gartland | Jun 10, 2024

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has turned down an offer to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

The Lakers offered Hurley a six-year contract with $70 million, which would have made him one of the six highest-paid coaches in the NBA, according to Wojnarowksi. Connecticut governor Ned Lamont said at a public appearance before news of Hurley’s decision broke that “We’ll make sure he’s the top paid college coach,” according to David Borges of CT Insider. Hurley’s current contract is a six-year deal worth $32.1 million that he signed almost exactly a year ago.

Wojnarowski first reported the Lakers’ interest in hiring the back-to-back national championship coach on Friday. Los Angeles is seeking to replace Darvin Ham, who was fired last month after the team was bounced from the playoffs in the first round.

Hurley is a lifelong East Coast resident, having grown up in New Jersey as the son of legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley. He played college basketball at Seton Hall and first rose to prominence as a coach at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J. His first college coaching job was with the Wagner Seahawks on Staten Island, where he spent two seasons before making the jump to the Rhode Island Rams. He was hired by UConn in 2018 and has led the Huskies to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, including back-to-back championships.

Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick has been linked to the Lakers job, although the two sides have yet to discuss a contract or even hold a formal interview. James Borrego, the former Charlotte Hornets head coach and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant, is also reportedly a candidate for the job.

Returning to UConn will allow Hurley to chase an ultra-rare three-peat. While the Huskies’ women’s program won four titles in a row from 2013 to ’16, the only men’s program to win more than two consecutive championships was the UCLA Bruins dynasty under coach John Wooden, who won seven straight titles from 1967 to ’73.