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Dan Hurley Admits He Was 'Torn' Between Lakers, UConn, Explains Why

Hurley considered a job with the Lakers, but will return to attempt to push the UConn men's team to a three-peat.

Josh Wilson

Dan Hurley gets ready to throw the first pitch at a Yankee game on July 6
Dan Hurley gets ready to throw the first pitch at a Yankee game on July 6 / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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Ultimately, the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick to be their next head coach, but for a short while, it appeared as if UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley was a legitimate option for the historic franchise. Hurley has been head coach at UConn for six years and has led his team to back-to-back national titles.

Despite appearing engaged and excited to lead his team to a three-peat, Hurley was rumored to be entertaining the Lakers' interest before ultimately deciding to return to UConn on a six-year contract extension.

Speaking on YES after throwing out the first pitch at a Yankee game on July 6, Hurley admitted why he considered the Lakers interest.

"We went through the exercise. You know, when the Lakers come calling, you know, you keep an open mind, as much as you love UConn and just what we've been able to do, you've got to listen. And we were torn," Hurley told Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, and Joe Girardi in the booth on Saturday afternoon.

The allure of Los Angeles is admittedly tough to deny. The Lakers have 17 titles in 64 playoff appearances. Of course, they also boast a roster that includes LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It wasn't enough to pull Hurley away from his Huskies, though.

Hurley did joke that Lakers fans don't like him anymore because of him opting to stay at UConn.

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Josh Wilson

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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