Byron Scott held his cellphone while wearing a smile as big as the ones he wore after winning those three NBA titles in the 1980s with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the other end of the phone was his son Thomas Scott, delivering some good news.
The younger Scott was going to be named general manager of the Laketown Squadron, the G-League team for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The rest of the conversation went a little like this.
Dad: “Get the hell outta here!”
Son: “I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Dad: “You’re going to do what I’m going to do. I’m going to go outside, grab me a stogie and a drink, and I’m going to celebrate you.”
This was something to celebrate for the Scott family. A full-circle moment if there ever was one.
Byron Scott took over as head coach of the then-New Orleans Hornets in the 2004-05 season. In his fourth season, he led the team to 56 wins. That remains the most wins in franchise history. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year that season, the only person in franchise history to win that honor.
Scott also navigated the team when it relocated to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina pummeled New Orleans. He spent five full seasons leading the franchise before being fired nine games into his sixth season.
Thomas Scott actually arrived in New Orleans a year before his dad. He attended Xavier University for a year before transferring. He later returned, this time working for the Hornets as an assistant video coordinator.
His father could have given him an assistant coach job right away, but he didn’t.
“I knew how he would be judged if he was an assistant right away,” Byron said. “I told him you have to work from the bottom up.”
So that’s what Thomas did. His job duties included everything from preparing scouting tape with the coaches to helping with halftime edits to assisting visiting teams with video.
“I did a lot of running around,” Thomas said.
Now he’s back in the New Orleans area for what he calls his “third lap.” This time he’s in charge of the Squadron, which is making the transition to Kenner after playing the previous five seasons in Birmingham, Alabama.
He’s taken on this type of project before. He was the director of basketball operations for the BIG3, the 3-on-3 pro league started by rapper/entrepreneur Ice Cube, when it began. He also worked with the G League Ignite in its first season.
“So this is my third time being a part of something starting up,” Thomas said. “I like to build. And with Laketown, I’d like to build something special with that by being an asset to the Pelicans organization. Getting these guys a chance to play for the Pelicans through our program. Getting the fans a chance to see these guys in their development to get to the next level.”
If that wasn’t enough to sell Thomas on the job, it helps that his wife is from New Orleans.
He brings a wealth of experience in everything from basketball operations to player development to coaching and talent evaluation. In addition to his time with the BIG3 and the G League Ignite, he’s also had G League stops with the Erie BayHawks, Cleveland Charge, South Bay Lakers and Mexico City Capitanes.
In the G League, the staff isn’t the size of an NBA team. So oftentimes, it’s all hands on deck for everything. That is why Thomas knows this new gig is suited for him.
“These jobs as general manager are almost impossible to get,” he said. “Also being a minority, you can’t say no to these type of things because they never come around. I just felt like this was very special. It felt like a lot of the things I’ve done in my past led me to this chance. I felt like I fit.”
Now he gets to tag team with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars to find the right pieces to fit. The two of them are on the same page as far as what they want.
“There is a characteristic he’s looking for as far as the pedigree of players he’s looking for,” Thomas said. “And I’m going to help him find it. He wants a tough, physical identity. So we are going to bring dogs in here.”
While player development is the main goal, Thomas knows that getting fans to the Pontchartrain Center is also important.
“The environment is going to be rocking and there isn’t going to be a bad seat in the house,” he said. “We are going to rely on the fans to give us the energy we need to win games.”
It’ll take plenty of work, but Thomas Scott is willing to put that work in. He has seen hard work all of his life watching his dad. It’s one of the things his father passed down to him.
“I’ve always observed my dad being very disciplined and always moving as a professional,” he said. “Very punctual. Very consistent on a day-to-day basis. Somebody that knew how to lock in and stay very focused. He has a lot of personality off the court. But when it came down to working, his work ethic is unmatched.”
Byron Scott, who also had head coaching stints with the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, last coached in 2016. Now he gets to be a proud father as his son begins as a general manager in the place he once called home.
“Life has a way of doing that to you and taking you full circle,” Byron Scott said. “My son’s time in New Orleans is when he really started getting the bug about getting involved in basketball. One thing about him is he’s worked … for years to get in position to do something like this. I’m so proud and happy for him.”