Before becoming the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyronn Lue made his mark with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lue led the team to their first NBA championship in 2016.
Lue’s success in Cleveland made him a sought-after coach, with several NBA teams vying for his leadership. Among them were the Los Angeles Lakers, who considered Lue for their head coaching position in 2019 before ultimately hiring Frank Vogel.
In a recent appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Lue opened up about what happened during his discussions with the Lakers. He revealed that he turned down the job offer because he felt disrespected by the terms presented.
“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 staff, and I just wasn’t going to do that. And I think 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,” Lue said.
“Like I said, the Lakers didn’t do anything wrong. Like you said, they offered me the job; they chose me to do it, and it was up to me to take the deal, and I just said I respectfully decline,” he added.
Tyronn Lue Reveals Why He Chose Respect Over the Lakers Coaching Job
Tyronn Lue also revealed that LeBron James personally reached out to him to pursue him for the Lakers. But Lue, who voiced concern for Jeff Van Gundy’s mental health, at last chose the love and respect he got from the Cavaliers team over the Lakers deal.
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“He did, and he called me twice. He called me, ‘What do I gotta do? You want this?’ I said, ‘No, I want them to respect me. 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,'” Lue said.
As the head coach of the Clippers, Lue has led the team to the postseason in three of the past four seasons. His success has earned him a new long-term contract with the Clippers.
