Since the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search began, LeBron James’ camp has let it be known that he is uninvolved and will not give input to the organization.
James has given input on roster moves in the past but given his current contract situation and his ability to opt out and test free agency, he made it clear that he wants the Lakers to make the decision on their next coach themselves.
Even still, it was presumed that James’ preferred choice would be JJ Redick, who he hosts a podcast with talking basketball. With that being the case, it was fair to question how James would feel when the Lakers surprisingly tried to chase UConn head coach Dan Hurley.
They envisioned Hurley building a program for them similar to the one he has at UConn, taking the long-term view to sustainable success. And while Hurley turned them down, he has now revealed that James likely would have been on board with his hiring and even took steps to recruit him with text messages, via The Herd with Colin Cowherd:
“We had some text messages. An incredible message from him over the course of the weekend, just talking about basketball and some different things, and letting me know that if he was there in L.A., that I’d have his support. Just think about that, man. That blew my mind. And the exchange even went through to when I chose to go in another direction. It blew my mind to get a text message from LeBron James.”
Considering James wanted to stay out of the coaching search, for him to reach out to Hurley shows that he was in favor of the potential hiring.
It will be interesting to see if the Lakers failing to land Hurley impacts James’ contract decision, although they now seem to be shifting back to Redick as their top candidate with an interview scheduled for this weekend. While being a second option is never ideal, Redick reportedly understands and accepts the Lakers’ pursuit of Hurley and is potentially willing to move forward with the organization.
LeBron James previously shared praise for Dan Hurley
While LeBron James texting Dan Hurley to recruit him may come as a bit of a surprise, his affinity for the UConn head coach is already well-known.
He previously praised Hurley for the offense he runs with the Huskies, and James clearly feels that would have translated to the NBA level with the Lakers.
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