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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 21: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Oklahoma Sooners at Lenovo Center on March 21, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
For the Hurleys, coaching basketball is the family business, and for a senior member, a chance at possibly the most prestigious role in the sport was something you don’t pass on.
Last summer, as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach job remained vacant, the team was interested in UConn head coach Dan Hurley, and had one person in their corner, his father.
Hurley revealed Aug. 14 in an interview on Jon Rothstein’s “Inside College Basketball Now” that his father, Bob Hurley, encouraged him to move across the country to the West Coast and take command of the 17-time NBA champions.
The former head coach of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, Bob Hurley, was a preeminent winner. He amassed 26 state championships in 39 years. Both his boys followed in his footsteps, embracing the sport. Bobby Hurley, now head coach at Arizona State, won two championships as a player at Duke, while Dan Hurley has won just as many titles as the Huskies head coach.
GettyLOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 12: High school coach Bob Hurley Sr., accepts the best coach award onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Dan Hurley Wanted Chance at Third NCAA Title, Didn’t Listen to Father
Dan Hurley ultimately ignored his father’s storied consult and instead signed a new six-year, $50 million contract with the Huskies that same summer.
“The thing with my dad is, at different points in my career, he’s advised us to make the move and take the job, and he never did. I always took my dad’s advice on career advancement with a heavy grain of salt, because he never left St. Anthony,” Dan Hurley told Rothstein. “The one thing I don’t listen to Bob Hurley Sr. about is how to advance my career, because he never left his high school when he could have coached at any level.”
Dan Hurley turned down a six-year, $70 million offer to coach the Lakers. The team then hired Duke legend JJ Reddick to a four-year, $32 million deal.
Dan Hurley said at the time that it was a “difficult decision,” but he wanted a chance at a third consecutive title with UConn. However, the Huskies had a more mediocre campaign during the 2024-25 season, going 24-11 and exiting the NCAA Tournament in the second round.
“You kick yourself even more because you were that close and you felt like you didn’t do a good job putting (the team) together, and then obviously it wasn’t my finest year coaching,” Dan Hurley said.
Lakers Went on to Have a Noteworthy Season, Trading For Luka Doncic
On the other hand, the Lakers entered the season with Lebron James and Anthony Davis, but by the end of the year had departed from Davis, who won a title with the team in the 2020, to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks.
Getty Lakers star Luka Doncic of Slovenia reacts during the international basketball friendly match between Slovenia and Germany at Dvorana Stozice, on August 8, 2025 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The shocking trade sent trembles through the league for weeks and Doncic had his moments, showing why he is five-time All-Star, but the Lakers lost in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. It marked the first time the Lakers were eliminated in the first round in two consecutive years in nearly two decades.
But the Lakers expect a much improved Doncic next year. He lost over 30 pounds in attempt to focus on his physical wellbeing. Doncic is currently playing for the Slovenia national team in preparation for 2025 EuroBasket. He shrugged off an injury scare in an exhibition loss to Latvia last week.
Drake Bentley is an award-winning Wisconsin journalist with a strong background in investigative reporting. He’s covered sports professionally since 2019, including the NBA Finals and NFL Draft, and has extensive experience with trending and breaking news stories. More about Drake Bentley
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