When the Los Angeles Lakers began their coaching search, it was reported that former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was being used as a resource to find the right man for the job.
Many assumed that Krzyzewski would be endorsing JJ Redick, who was the initial favorite to land the job and of course played at Duke under Coach K.
However, in the past couple of days, UConn head coach Dan Hurley has emerged as the overwhelming favorite with the hope that a deal will get done over the weekend after meeting on Friday.
As it turns out, Hurley also has a close relationship with Krzyzewski and the legendary Duke coach may have played a role in the Lakers’ pursuit of the 51-year-old, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
Legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who, according to multiple sources, has become a respected unofficial advisor to the Lakers during the hiring process, has a strong relationship with Hurley. Krzyzewski coached Hurley’s older brother, Bobby, at Duke from 1989 to 1993, winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. Back in March, Dan Hurley said that Krzyzewski pushed him to take the UConn job in 2018 and that the two speak at least twice yearly.
Though Krzyzewski also has ties to Redick, who played under him at Duke from 2002 to 2006, his relationship with Hurley and the belief he has shown in him has been one of the many factors in the process that has led the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, according to team and league sources.
With reports indicating that Hurley has been the Lakers’ primary target all along, it’s possible that Krzyzewski spoke with the UConn coach and helped persuade him to seriously consider L.A.
It has also been reported that the Lakers’ offer for Hurley is expected to blow UConn’s out of the water, so it makes sense why a deal could come together quickly here.
If Hurley ultimately decides to stay at UConn though then the Lakers would likely circle back to Redick, who Krzyzewski is also presumably high on having coached him for four years.
Jim Calhoun believes Dan Hurley needs to consider Lakers
Mike Krzyzewski isn’t the only legendary college coach in Dan Hurley’s ear about taking the Lakers job as former UConn coach Jim Calhoun himself also recently stated it is something that needs to be considered.
These coaches understand how prestigious the Lakers job is and with the current landscape in the NCAA, now is as good of a time as ever for Hurley to make the jump to the NBA.
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