New college coaching legend linked to Lakers job

Apr 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at center court during game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to hire Dan Hurley as their new head coach, but another two-time national champion has now been linked to the job as well.

NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote on Sunday about the Lakers pursuing Hurley and when that pursuit may have begun. While the answer to that question will likely become more clear after Hurley makes a decision, Stein said he was told by a “well-placed insider” that another college coaching legend was also viewed as a potential candidate for the Lakers at one point — Jay Wright.

“I know that there is great interest in the backstory here … whether Hurley indeed was the Lakers’ dream target all along or if the Lakers increased the intensity of their Hurley courtship more recently because of 11th-hour doubts about (JJ) Redick or anyone else in the process,” Stein wrote, via Julia Stumbaugh of Bleacher Report. “(I had been warned early on by one well-placed insider, for what it’s worth, to stay ready in case former Villanova coach Jay Wright emerged as a stealth candidate.)”

Wright was the head coach at Villanova from 2001-2022. He won national championships in 2016 and 2018. He now works as an analyst for CBS, but he is young by coaching standards at age 62. While Wright said earlier this year that he is done coaching, his name has come up in connection with numerous high-profile jobs.

Like Hurley, Wright has no NBA coaching experience. There’s no reason to think there is any mutual interest between Wright and L.A., but every current and former coach would probably at least listen if the Lakers came calling.