Tony Bennett. Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP
Our aw-shucks Tony Bennett wasn’t a likely candidate for a TV desk, and I don’t see him coaching again – he’s too good for college, with NIL and the portal, and he’s ill-suited to holding a clipboard for NBA guys on max contracts.
But working with an NBA team as a draft adviser? Oh, yeah.
With the Los Angeles Lakers? Obviously.
“As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource,” Lakers president and GM Rob Pelinka said in a statement released on Wednesday, announcing the addition of TB to the front office staff.
We just had the ceremony for Bennett that put his name on the court at JPJ on Saturday.
ICYMI
Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP
During the ceremony, Bennett quipped that his wife, Laurel, told him that “retired me is a lot more fun and enjoyable than coaching me.”
“I’m glad she said that, because you spend a lot more time together when you’re retired,” Bennett said.
You can imagine Laurel telling Tony, Yeah, retired you is more fun and all, but seriously, you need to get out of the house every once in a while.
“When Rob and I began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization,” Bennett said in a statement in the Lakers press release.
“The Lakers carry a tradition that speaks for itself, so to be connected to it and assist Rob and the Lakers in any way I can is exciting,” Bennett said.
No doubt, Laurel said to him, Tony, you need a hobby.