Dan Hurley Declines LA Lakers’ Six-Year, $70 Million Head Coach Offer

Sources informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Dan Hurley declined a six-year, $70 million proposal from the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, he will come back to vie for a third consecutive national title at UConn.

“I am humbled by this entire experience,” Hurley said in a statement released by the school. “At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today’s workout and our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.”

Before engaging in discussions with the Lakers, Hurley had already received an offer from UConn to become one of the highest-paid NCAA coaches, according to sources close to Wojnarowski. Despite the Lakers’ proposal, negotiations with UConn are set to persist.

Governor Ned Lamont, who maintained communication with Hurley over the weekend, informed reporters on Monday that the state is committed to ensuring he becomes the highest-paid college coach.

After the 2022-23 season, Hurley inked a six-year, $32.1 million contract with UConn. Despite the allure of coaching one of the most renowned franchises in professional sports and the potential opportunity to mentor NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James, he opted to remain with UConn.

Ultimately, Hurley decided to remain at UConn, a team that has achieved a remarkable record of 68-11 over the past two championship-winning seasons. UConn will now strive to become the second program in history to secure three consecutive men’s national titles. The only team with a superior record is UCLA, which clinched seven NCAA championships in a row from 1967 to 1973.

UConn officially confirmed Hurley’s decision with a statement from athletic director David Benedict, expressing the school’s delight that their coach has chosen to remain with the team.

“He has helped return our men’s basketball program back to the pinnacle of the sport, including back-to-back NCAA Championships, and we’re grateful for his loyalty to UConn,” Benedict said. “We look forward to Dan’s continued leadership on and off the court at UConn. He will continue to bring great pride to Husky fans everywhere as we work toward a three-peat.”