Dan Hurley has made his decision on where he will coach next season, and it is not going to be in the NBA.
Hurley has turned down a massive offer from the Los Angeles Lakers and will remain at UConn, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers offered Hurley a 6-year, $70 million contract, which would have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA.
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
Hurley said Sunday that he met with the Lakers and was “extremely impressed” with the pitch from their front office. Skeptics will wonder if the 51-year-old coach was simply using the negotiations with L.A. as leverage in extension talks with UConn.
Wojnarowski reports that Hurley already had an offer from UConn to become one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball.
As swept away as Hurley became by the Lakers courtship and vision for him, he ultimately couldn't walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title. Even before Lakers talks, Hurley already had a UConn offer to become one of highest paid NCAA coaches…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024
Hurley has been the head coach at UConn since 2018. He has an overall record of 141-58 with the Huskies. He was the head coach at Rhode Island for six seasons before taking the UConn job and Wagner for two years before that.
The landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in recent years, and Hurley indicated recently that he is exhausted with one aspect of it. Despite that, he is still going to pursue a third straight national championship with the Huskies.
