Dan Hurley turns down the Los Angeles Lakers, will return to UConn for potential three-peat

Hurley reportedly turned down a six-year, $70 million deal from the Lakers to return as the Huskies head coach

Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley celebrates after cutting down the net after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Hurley will have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since John Wooden and UCLA in the 1970s — win three straight national championships. The UConn Huskies head coach will return to college basketball after turning down the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hurley, who met with the Lakers brass in LA on Friday, reportedly turned down a six-year, $70 million offer to coach a 40-year-old LeBron James and instead opted to pursue a third national title with a revamped UConn squad. Hurley told ESPN that the Lakers made a “compelling case” for him to be the franchise’s next head coach, but that he also loves what he has built with the Huskies. As UConn met Monday for team activities, Hurley was expected to make his decision public.

Hurley’s return to college basketball has massive implications for the sport’s hierarchy heading into next season. UConn is 141-58 in six seasons under Hurley and has appeared dominant in the past two NCAA Tournaments. The Huskies won their past 12 postseason games by double-digit margins and produced the biggest point differential in tournament history — 140 points — in the 2024 tournament.

UConn appears on track to be a preseason top-10 team heading into next season, though it did lose two potential lottery picks (Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle) as well as All-American point guard Tristen Newton to the NBA Draft. Hurley has managed heavy roster turnover before — UConn lost Adama Sanogo, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2023, as well as Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson to the NBA before repeating as champions a year later. Hurley’s return not only puts the Huskies near the top of preseason rankings, but it also gives them a legitimate chance to pull off a three-peat.

UConn replaced some of its outgoing talent with two-time All-WCC guard Aidan Mahaney from Saint Mary’s and top-10 recruit Liam McNeely. Alex Karaban is back for his senior season after withdrawing from the draft. Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson also return from last season’s championship squad.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will see the new-look Huskies on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It’ll be the third meeting between the programs since March 2023, when UConn downed Gonzaga in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies also bested the Zags, 76-63, in Seattle last season.

As for the Lakers, Wojnarowski reported that they’ll bring in and interview candidates with the hope of hiring a coach before the NBA Draft. Hurley had been at the forefront of LA’s coaching search over the past few weeks. James Borrego from the New Orleans Pelicans and former NBA guard and Duke standout JJ Redick are reportedly linked as candidates for the Lakers head coaching vacancy.