Dan Hurley: The man who turned down $70 million from the LA Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers will continue on their hunt for a new coach after their latest candidate, Dan Hurley, rejected the job to stay in college basketball.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Hurley turned down a six-year, $70 million (£54m, €64m) offer in favor of chasing a third straight NCAA Championship with the University of Connecticut.

If Hurley had accepted the contract, he would have become the sixth highest-paid coach in the NBA, despite never coaching at a professional level.

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According to @UConnMBB on X, Hurley released a statement: "I am humbled by this entire experience. At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut."

"Our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships."

According to Yahoo Sports, Hurley traveled to Los Angeles on the 6th of June to hold talks with the organization and said the Lakers had a 'compelling vision,' but he has opted to stay on the East Coast to stay with the NCAA champions.

Who can blame him? Hurley has transformed the UConn Huskies into the best college team in America, having joined in 2018 and taking them until 2021 to return to the NCAA Tournament since 2016.

After losing in the first round in 2021 and 2022, Hurley and the Huskies shocked the world in 2023, winning the NCAA Championship for the first time in nine years, the University of Connecticut website reports.

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In the 2023-2024 season, Hurley led the Huskies to a school-record 37 wins, a Big East regular season title, a Big East tournament championship, a first overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, and a second straight NCAA Championship.

After the historic 2024 season, Hurley was recognized as the Naismith College Coach of the Year and received the Sporting News National Coach of the Year. Hurley has a record of 141 wins and 58 losses in six years with UConn.

With their best candidate gone, what will LeBron James and the Lakers front office do now to gain a coach who can take them back to championship status again?

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