Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue shared why he thought the Los Angeles Lakers’ offer to him to be the team’s head coach was a “slap in the face.”
Ty Lue on the Lakers coaching offer in 2021:
"For me to be a championship coach, to take a three-year deal when everyone else is getting five-year deals and more money, and then you wanna pick my staff as well? I just thought that was a slap in the face."
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) December 9, 2024
Lue also shared that Lakers superstar LeBron James wanted him to coach the team, but Lue didn’t want James to be the reason he got a deal done.
Ty Lue on LeBron wanting him to coach the Lakers:
I said, I want them to respect me. I don't want to have to go to you to get my deal done. If they don't respect me, like I should be respected, then it's okay. He was pissed off, he was mad about it. Him and Rich Paul stepped up.
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) December 9, 2024
After spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with the Clippers, Lue became the team’s head coach for the 2020-21 season. He has compiled a 198-145 record with the Clippers, leading them to the playoffs in the 2020-21 season, 2022-23 season and 2023-24 campaign. Lue and the Clippers made the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, but they came up short without Kawhi Leonard against the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers, who won the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season under head coach Frank Vogel, have had multiple coaches since Lue took the Clippers job. Vogel coached the team for three seasons, but he was let go after the Lakers missed the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
From there, Los Angeles hired Darvin Ham, but he lasted just two seasons with the franchise.
As the Lakers’ head coach, Ham has compiled a 90-74 record in the regular season and a 9-12 mark in the playoffs. The Lakers went just 1-8 in their last two playoff series with Ham at the helm (both against Denver).
Even though Ham led the team to the postseason in back-to-back campaigns, the Lakers had to battle through the play-in tournament to make the playoffs in the West. They did make the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season.
Now, Los Angeles is relying on former NBA sharpshooter J.J. Redick at head coach. The Lakers are off to a decent start in the 2024-25 season, winning 13 of their first 24 games. They currently hold the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
James and Lue won a title together in Cleveland in the 2015-16 season, erasing a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. Golden State had posted a 73-9 record in the regular season during that campaign, but Lue was able to get his Cavs team to the mountaintop in the playoffs.
While the Lakers may regret not hiring Lue earlier in James’ tenure with the franchise, they are now focused on moving forward with Redick as the franchise’s head coach.
