Dan Hurley has broken the silence.
Hours after deciding to turn down an offer to become the Lakers’ head coach and remain at the University of Connecticut, Hurley gave a simple explanation for his decision.
“I am grateful for the experience,” Hurley said in a statement. “At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We came together as a team before practice today, but now we are focused on getting better this summer and coming together as a team to continue our pursuit of a championship.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Hurley, who led the Huskies to consecutive national championships, has been offered a six-year, $70 million contract by the Lakers.
But the 51-year-old Hurley is reportedly eager to lead UCLA to its first three-peat NCAA championship since John Wooden’s UCLA teams won seven straight from 1966-1973.
“Harley was consumed with courting the Lakers and their vision for him, but ultimately couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make history and pursue a third consecutive NCAA title.” Wojnarowski wrote to X on Monday. “Even before his talks with the Lakers, Hurley had already received an offer from the University of Connecticut to become one of the NCAA’s highest-paid coaches, and those talks are likely to continue, sources said.
Hurley’s decision has left the Lakers in disarray.
The two candidates they may be pursuing now are former NBA player and media personality JJ Redick, who emerged as a front-runner even before reports of interest in Hurley broke, and Hornets assistant James Borrego.
The Lakers are coming off a disappointing season in which they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Nuggets in five games.
There is also uncertainty about LeBron James’ future, as he could be out of contract this offseason.
