LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is out for Sunday’s game and possibly beyond that as well.
The Clippers announced on Sunday that Lue had gone home due to back pain and would not be coaching that night against the Sacramento Kings. Assistant coach Brian Shaw is now set to take over the coaching duties for the Clippers for at least Sunday’s contest.
The 47-year-old Lue, a former NBA champion head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is in his fifth season as head coach of the Clippers, going 218-163 (.572) since taking over in 2020. But this is not the first time that he has had to miss games due to a physical issue.
Back in 2018 when he was still coaching the Cavs, Lue had to take a brief leave of absence due to health issues. Lue opened up about those issues at the time, saying that he had been experiencing chest pain and other problems. With the Clippers, Lue has also missed games here and there due to illness, and there were even rumors years ago that Lue might be stepping down from his post (though it is unclear if health issues were the basis).
Former Clippers assistant Dan Craig, who was previously the second-in-command to Lue, left over the summer to join the coaching staff of the Chicago Bulls. As such, Shaw, himself a former NBA head coach with the Denver Nuggets, is now taking over in Lue’s absence. Another ex-NBA head coach, Jeff Van Gundy is also notably in his first season as a Clippers assistant coach and oversees the team’s defense.
The Clippers entered play on Sunday at 34-29, which is eighth in the Western Conference and 1.5 games back of a top-six spot. It is unclear if Lue will need to miss time beyond Sunday’s game. But with the Clippers heading on a three-game East Coast road trip from here, it is certainly a murky picture for Lue right now.
