Dan Hurley refutes popular narrative about his discussions with Lakers

“I’ve had a contract in place here for a couple of weeks. And the financial part, in terms of salary, has been done for a while,” the 51-year-old said. “There are some other parts, like NIL and staff salary and some different things, that I want adjusted and I’m not comfortable with. But the sense of the idea that this was some conspiracy to get me a sweeter deal at UConn is just, it’s lazy.”

Huskies fans breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when it was reported that Hurley would be returning to the Storrs, Conn. campus for a chance to become just the second men’s basketball program to three-peat. UCLA won seven consecutive NCAA championships under iconic coach John Wooden from 1967-73.

Hurley added that making his choice was a “gut-wrenching decision.”

“Sunday night, going into Monday, where I kind of had a deadline in my mind, I was torn and I did not know really what I was going to do until I went to bed,” he said.

Hurley did admit that Los Angeles likely could’ve made him an offer that he couldn’t turn down, but the deal he has in place with UConn is set to make him the highest-paid college coach in the country. The school has not yet announced the new contract, but he signed a six-year, $32.1M deal last summer.

Longtime Kansas coach Bill Self is currently the highest-paid coach at $9.6M per year.

“To leave, there probably is (a number). … To stay somewhere like UConn, it would never have been a financial thing,” Hurley said. “This wasn’t like some pressure tactic to make me the highest-paid college coach. That was already done. But to leave a place that you feel the way we do and the family connection with my wife, my sons, my mother-in-law, my father…I know how much it means to my dad to go to the Big East tournament and come to 10 UConn games a year at home, sitting courtside, when I’m coaching against Rick Pitino.”

Hurley flew to meet with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss last weekend but told listeners on Thursday that he never talked directly with superstar LeBron James before making his choice.

“I did not (speak to James),” Hurley said. “We had some communication….It would have
been a thrill to coach him.”