Dan Hurley UConn, Tom Izzo, Los Angeles Lakers head coach job
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Head coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies looks on during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Coming off back-to-back men’s college basketball national championships, University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley, while controversial in his own right, was a hot commodity and potentially in line to become the next playcaller for the Los Angeles Lakers.
While the Lakers were coming off a 47-35 record and a first-round loss with stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they chose to fire then-head coach Darvin Ham.
As his replacement, Hurley was a top candidate that Los Angeles wanted for the job. However, the two-time national champion ended up turning down the Lakers, and the team instead hired JJ Redick for the position. Still, details have recently emerged about the UConn coach’s thoughts on moving up to the NBA ranks, as well as the massive contract he was offered to head to Hollywood.
Hurley and the Huskies are currently in the Elite 8 of the 2026 March Madness tournament, set to face off against the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, March 29.
Dan Hurley Asked Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo For Advice Lakers Job Offer
Dan Hurley UConn, Tom Izzo, Los Angeles Lakers head coach job
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 27: Head coaches Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies and Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans meet after the Huskies beat the Spartans 67-63 in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
In a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Hurley discussed his thought process on turning down the offer to lead the Lakers, arguably the most popular and successful team in NBA history.
He revealed that he consulted rival head coach from Michigan State, Tom Izzo, who Hurley and UConn recently beat in the Sweet 16 this year, for advice.
“Coach Izzo, he walked me through just, you know, his thought process when he went through, like, you know, the decision-making of making that move to the NBA and the pros and cons,” Hurley said.
Izzo himself had received multiple NBA head coaching offers in the past, specifically from the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers, according to the Associated Press.
“The point that coach had made to me was you know, hey, I think you really got to consider our sport right now,” Hurley added. “You know it’s so unregulated. It’s such a mess. Coach has been there for me on lots of different things you know and I’ve studied coach for a long time like I have all the great coaches taking advice from all [them].”
Speaking to the AP, Izzo echoed a similar sentiment as to what he told Hurley for the major decision to potentially lead the Lakers.
“I told him to seriously look at it because I could see where college basketball was going,” the Michigan State play-caller said. “But I said, I would hate to lose him because I think he’s all that is right about college basketball. He cares about the kids. He cares about the game. He has to care about the game because of his dad.”
The offer for Hurley to join the Lakers was reportedly for six years and $70 million. While he did admit the offer was intriguing, he instead stayed with UConn, where he is on the cusp of his third Final Four appearance in four years.
Dan Hurley And UConn In March Madness 2026
While they didn’t win a national championship in 2025, losing in the second round, the Huskies have since bounced back strongly. While they did lose in the Big East tournament final to St. John’s, they finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 32-5 record and entered the March Madness tournament as a second seed.
Hurley and UConn have beaten Furman, UCLA, and most recently Izzo and Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday to advance to the Elite eight.
They now have a Sunday date against the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils, who, besides a first-round scare against Siena, have been dominant all season and remain a top favorite to win the national championship.
Both UConn and Duke have been two of the most successful college basketball teams since 2000, and according to Hurley, they are the two best programs in the country.
“I think it speaks to just the university, the commitment that Duke makes to basketball, the commitment that UConn makes to the sport, how important it is to both universities, how much of a part of the identity (basketball is) of the universities,” Hurley said before the matchup. “Obviously, they’re both world-class institutions, but basketball is critically important.”
Duke remains a slight favorite for the game, but as UConn has the experience with players like Alex Karaban, and now will have Silas Demary Jr. back from injury, their status as underdogs against the freshman-led Blue Devils should be taken with a grain of salt.
After not taking the Lakers’ head coaching job, Hurley is now on the hunt for his third national championship in four years with the Huskies.
The UConn vs Duke game will tipoff at roughly 4:05 pm EST on Sunday, March 29, on CBS.