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UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley has been one of the most coveted coaches in the country over the past two years after leading the revival of the storied program. He has led them to dominant back-to-back national championships, cementing himself as a premier name in college basketball.
Most recently, he has been linked to a number of vacant jobs including the Kentucky Wildcats job which he turned down to remain in Storrs showing his loyalty to the Huskies.
On Thursday, Hurley was linked to a job that very few coaches would turn down though. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Dan Hurley was the top candidate to take over the vacant coaching job after the dismissal of Darvin Ham.
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"BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Connecticut’s Dan Hurley to become the franchise’s next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back national champion to the NBA, sources tell ESPN," Wojnarowski tweeted.
As usual, both NBA and college basketball fans on X were quick to come up with hilarious memes when the news of the Lakers' interest in Hurley broke.
Dan Hurley could be tempted to take Lakers' job
The Lakers have been linked to several coaches including New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, and the most long-lasting rumor has been JJ Redick who hosts a podcast with star LeBron James.
The links to Dan Hurley are probably the most solid ones since the sacking of Ham; but at the moment, the UConn coach has just tapped into a rich vein of form after building the most dominant program college basketball has seen in ages.
LeBron James has previously revealed his admiration for Hurley, his staff and offensive creativity after a podcast session with JJ Redick.
After beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 in the national championship game for his second consecutive national title, Hurley addressed the speculation linking him to the Kentucky Wildcats job.
“I don’t think that’s a concern," Hurley said. "My wife, you should have her answer that. … She’ll answer that question better than I can. Shit, I don’t think that’s on my mind. No way.”
The temptation to take the Lakers job is probably the only one that could overpower the pull for coach Dan Hurley to stay in Storrs with the UConn Huskies and build a dynasty while winning a three-peat—a feat only accomplished by the legendary John Wooden in the 1960s.
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