Why does Magic Johnson want Dan Hurley as the next Los Angeles Lakers coach?

The intrigue of the Lakers search for a new coach continues to captivate as the team is now said to be linked with UConn’s Dan Hurley, a man who has a proven pedigree. Indeed, that’s something that Magic Johnson himself appears to be a fan of.

Magic Johnson wants Dan Hurley as the Lakers’ coach

As you’ve probably seen by now, UConn head coach Dan Hurley is currently the front-runner to land the job of Los Angeles Lakers head coach. Truthfully, with essentially all of the franchise’s senior personnel endorsing the idea, as well as past icons of the team, one would think it’s all but a certainty at this point. Consider for a moment that even LeBron James, the current talisman of the team, is on board with the idea of Hurley as a coach, something that was on full display during a clip that he posted on social media back in April, in response to an interview between Hurley and JJ Redick, the man he co-hosts a podcast with and was also being considered for the job. “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it,” James declared on X at the time.

That of course brings us to another Lakers icon, Magic Johnson, who was full of compliments for the Huskies coach following Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Johnson was speaking during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and it was clear who he is backing for the job. “I want the coach to be Hurley,” Johnson said. “If we can sign him, I think it works for both. It works for coach Hurley, who won back-to-back NCAA championships with Connecticut, so he has a championship background. He’s great with offense and defensive strategy. I think that the players will respect him. And he’s tough.

“The Lakers gotta have somebody who will hold them accountable. And also, we gotta play physical basketball. Denver will always beat us unless we become a much more physical team. So we’ve gotta get more physical. That’s why these two teams are playing in the Finals, Boston and Dallas because they’re mentally tough and they’re physically tough. We’ve gotta get both mentally and physically tough.” Now, it’s true that Johnson is no longer a part of the Lakers’ front office, but it’s no secret that he has the ear of franchise owner Jeanie Buss, even referring to her as a sister at one time. As things stand, reports indicate that Hurley will meet with the Lakers on Friday to discuss how they could potentially move forward together. To be clear, there has been no official indication from Hurley that he will leave Connecticut, but the fact that he’s willing to sit down along with the notion that everybody associated with the Lakers appears to like the idea, suggests that a deal is imminent. As we always say, watch this space.