Dan Hurley has turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and will return to chase a third straight national title at UConn.
“I am humbled by this entire experience,” Hurley said in a statement released by the school. “At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today’s workout and our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.”
The Lakers would have made Hurley one of the NBA’s six highest-paid coaches. But before opening talks with the Lakers, Hurley already had an offer from UConn to become one of the highest paid NCAA coaches, and those talks will continue, sources told Wojnarowski.
Gov. Ned Lamont, who was in contact with Hurley throughout the weekend, told reporters Monday that the state will “make sure he’s the top paid college coach.”
Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal with UConn after the 2022-23 season. He had the option of taking over one of the most famed franchises in pro sports and a potential chance to coach NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James.
But Hurley ultimately chose to stay at UConn, which has gone 68-11 over the past two title-winning seasons and will try to become the second program to win three straight men’s national titles. UCLA, the only men’s program with a better record, won seven NCAA championships in a row from 1967 through 1973.
UConn confirmed Hurley’s decision with a statement from athletic director David Benedict, who said the school is “thrilled” that its coach is staying put.
“He has helped return our men’s basketball program back to the pinnacle of the sport, including back-to-back NCAA Championships, and we’re grateful for his loyalty to UConn,” Benedict said. “We look forward to Dan’s continued leadership on and off the court at UConn. He will continue to bring great pride to Husky fans everywhere as we work toward a three-peat.”
