Current Los Angeles Clippers head coach and former coach of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, Tyronn Lue, revealed that James called him after the Lakers low-balled him during the 2019 coaching negotiations.
Lue was a hot commodity in the 2019 head coaching search, and with the Lakers being viewed as the clear-cut favorite, the Los Angeles front office blew it.
Lue said that James called him twice and offered his help in the situation.
"He [James] did, and he called me twice. He called me, 'What do I have to do? I said, 'No, I want them to respect me," Lue said. "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 wasn't pissed off; he wasn't mad about it, but he and Rich Paul both stepped in and said, 'What are we going to do to get it done?' I didn't like the way it was handled."
Lue was viewed as the favorite to secure the Lakers job, and with James on the team, it was portrayed as a slam dunk hire. However, the talks were flawed, and there were disagreements on both sides. The Lakers had reportedly lowballed Lue.
James had won a championship with Lue at the helm of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, coming back down from a 3-1 deficit over the Golden State Warriors. James has a special connection with Lue, and still he does to this day.
It was reported that the Lakers' offer was between three years and $18 million, after which Lue's side pulled out of negotiations.
Lue said the deal was a step backward for a coach who had already proven his worth on the game's biggest stage.
"I don't think they had the same respect for me as I felt they should. They offered me the job on a three-year basis, and they wanted to pick my coaching style, and I wasn't going to do that, and more so 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 want to pick my staff as well, I just thought that was a slap in the face, and as a young Black head coach, I just thought it was a bad example I was steering for other guys coming up after me," Lue said.
That deal went on to create a snowball effect. The Lakes then pivoted to Frank Voegl, who led the Lakers to a title in his first year. However, three years later, he was fired, and L.A. has now gone through two head coaches since then.
As for Lue, he became the head coach for the Los Angeles Clippers before the 2020-21 season and is now in his fifth season.
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This story was originally published December 9, 2024, 2:56 PM.