Tyronn Lue, now in his fifth season as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, could have taken a very different path. Back in 2019, the former NBA champion and Cleveland Cavaliers coach had the opportunity to lead the Los Angeles Lakers—the very franchise where he began his playing career and won championships in 2000 and 2001.
“I would have loved it. I mean, it would have been a dream come true,” Lue told Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
Tyronn Lue’s Dream Was To Coach The Los Angeles Lakers
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The allure was clear. Lue spent the first three seasons of his playing career with the Lakers and has described the 2001 squad as the best team he ever played on. Leading the franchise as a head coach would have carried personal significance, but multiple factors ultimately led him to decline the offer.
“One, they offered me short years,” Lue explained. “They offered me three years, and I wanted to do five. I guess because they were trying to tie me to LeBron [James]. Two, the money was low… Well, I’m saying it wasn’t low like for me personally, the money, it was low for the head coach, and for what it meant to everybody else going forward. It’s kind of like the players’ association.
“If you take a bad deal, they’re going to give us all bad deals. And so, I just felt for me being a championship coach and being Black, I thought it was up to me to make sure I set the standard. If I take a bad deal, then what’s everybody else going to get, you know?”
Lue also cited a lack of control over his coaching staff as a major factor. “I couldn’t pick my coaching staff. Well, they wouldn’t let me pick my coaching staff for me, and so I had to leave a lot of guys behind,” he said. While he had no issue with the assistants the Lakers considered, he wanted to maintain continuity with the staff that helped him win a championship in Cleveland.
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Ultimately, Lue’s decision led him to the Clippers, where he initially served as lead assistant under Doc Rivers. When Rivers was let go in 2020, Lue took over the helm, immediately making his mark with an 11-0 start against the Lakers. Though he has yet to win a title in Los Angeles, he has consistently posted winning records and now prepares for a high-stakes season bolstered by offseason additions including Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, John Collins, and Brook Lopez.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have cycled through three head coaches since Lue passed on the opportunity. Frank Vogel led them to the 2020 NBA title but was dismissed in 2022, replaced by Darvin Ham, and subsequently JJ Redick. The franchise’s instability contrasts with Lue’s position in Los Angeles, where despite limited postseason success, he has maintained his role and built continuity with his roster.
“It was no bad blood. It was just what it was,” he said of his decision to decline the Lakers’ offer. The path he chose, aligning with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, may not have been the dream scenario from a fan perspective, but it positioned Lue for stability and another shot at a first-ever championship for the franchise.
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