Former Virginia Cavaliers basketball coach Tony Bennett has a new job, and it’s with an NBA team.
Bennett has been hired by the Los Angeles Lakers to serve as an NBA Draft advisor. The team made the announcement via social media on Tuesday.
The Lakers welcome Tony Bennett as NBA Draft Advisor. pic.twitter.com/OKA0PslGoY
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 25, 2026
“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Tony as an advisor to the Lakers basketball operations department,” Lakers executive Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource. Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill and high-IQ players is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited.”
Bennett said that what attracted him was the opportunity to work for a storied franchise and help them out.
Bennett, 56, is the son of former Wisconsin and Washington State basketball coach, Dick Bennett. Tony won an NCAA championship as the head coach at Virginia, and is a two-time AP National Coach of the Year. His teams were known for their tough defense, and Bennett regularly had professional-quality players in his program.
