Once again, the Lakers are disappointed! Until now, the Lakers were expecting Dan Hurley to take over the position once held by Darvin Ham. But as it turns out, this didn’t go the way LeBron James and Co. might have wanted, as Hurley chose UConn over the Lakers. However, this decision seems to have turned the tables upside down for Hurley.

Recently, Dan Hurley was asked if the rumors around taking up the Lakers’ head coach position were for publicity. To this, UConn’s head coach replied, “One of the worst takes I’ve heard is like this was a leverage play by me to improve my situation at UConn. I don’t need leverage here,” adding a full stop to all criticism. Notably, Hurley has a contract with the Huskies valid until 2029. He added, “We’ve won back-to-back national championships at this place, and this was never a leverage situation for me.”

Touching upon the financial aspect, he revealed, “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. There are some other parts, like NIL and staff salaries and some different things that I wanted adjusted, that I’m not comfortable with. But the sense or the idea that this was some conspiracy to get me a sweater deal at UConn is just lazy.”

Hurley continued with UConn, leaving behind one of the biggest opportunities that would have offered him millions. But what’s the reason behind leaving the Lakers’ side?

Dan Hurley decides to stay with UConn

It’s none other than Hurley’s six-year bond with the Connecticut Huskies. “I am humbled by this entire experience. At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut…. We met as a team before today’s workout,” Hurley revealed in a statement released on Monday.

He added, “Our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.” Hurley’s bond with UConn has strengthened over the years as he led the team to consecutive national championships. As the first basketball coach to achieve this after Billy Donovan in the last 17 years.

But his long list of accolades does not end here. After national championship wins, he became the first “three-peater” in the last 55 years since John Wooden. As per reports by NCBConnecticut.com, Hurley rejected a $70 million offer for six years to stay with the Huskies. Now the question is: will UConn be able to satisfy the coach who left a huge offer to coach their team?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.