Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been impressed by Connecticut Huskies men's basketball coach Dan Hurley from afar.
But perhaps James won't have to watch Hurley from across the country any longer.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday morning reported the Lakers are targeting Hurley to become the franchise's next head coach. LA reportedly is preparing a "massive, long-term contract offer" in hopes of bringing the Naismith Coach of the Year to Hollywood.
The development caused a prior tweet from James to resurface. In the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, James complimented Hurley's offensive scheme after the Huskies won back-to-back national championships.
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"He's so DAMN GOOD!!!" James posted on April 19, replying to an interview between J.J. Redick and Hurley. "Along with his staff. Super creative with their O (offense). Love it."
James has a player option in his contract for the 2024-25 season.
Wojnarowski included an interesting nugget in his report Thursday morning, too. Wojnarowski noted Hurley could be an even more intriguing candidate for the Lakers given Bronny James, the son of the elder James, is set to enter the 2024 NBA Draft. Wojnarowski mentioned LA holds the 55th overall pick, which could be used on the former USC guard.
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"If that happens, (LeBron) James gets a chance to play with his son and the benefit of Hurley and his staff becoming responsible for Bronny's pro development," Wojnarowski wrote.
Wojnarowski reported Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers' search from the beginning of the process. The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to "escalate discussions" in the coming days, per Wojnarowski.
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