The LA Clippers president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, has announced the appointment of Tyronn Lue as the team’s head coach on a permanent basis. Terms of the agreement were not released, per team policy.
Lue will replace Doc Rivers who was relieved of his duties after the Clippers lost a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets to lose out of making the Western Conference finals this year.
He also becomes the franchise’s 26th head coach after serving as an assistant coach for the Clippers during the 2019-20 season.
Tyronn Lue, before joining the clippers was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the NBA title in 2016 for the first time in the franchise history. He also coached the Cavs from 2016-18 and amassed a 128-83 record and took the team to three consecutive NBA Finals.
“Ty has been where we want to go. He is a championship head coach with an extraordinary feel for the game and the people who play it,” Frank says.
“He’s one of the great minds in our league, and he’s able to impart his vision to others because he connects with everybody he meets. We conducted a thorough search and spoke with fantastic candidates. We found that the best choice for our team was already in our building. As head coach, Ty will put a unique imprint on the organization, and drive us to new heights.”
Reacting Lue says: “The pieces we need are in place — committed ownership, smart management, and elite talent, on and off the court, in the NBA’s best market.
“My familiarity with the organization, particularly Mr Ballmer and Lawrence, confirmed this is where I want to be. We have work to do to become champions, but we have the motivation, the tools, and the support to get there. I’m excited to get started.”
Lue became the fourth head coach since 1980 to win an NBA Championship during his first year as he was head coach of the Cavaliers through the 2015-16 season, and the 14th person to have won a title as a head coach and as a player.
He was also selected to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team Over the next two seasons in the same season he won the NBA title with the Cavs.
He led the Cavaliers to two more Finals appearances, becoming the third head coach in NBA history to lead his team to three straight NBA Finals in his first three seasons.
Tyronn Lue had previously worked on the Clippers staff as an assistant coach from 2013-14, and that was after spending two years with the Boston Celtics, as an assistant coach and the director of basketball development.
A native of Mexico, Missouri, Lue played 11 seasons in the NBA, winning two NBA championships in 2000 and 2001 with the Lakers. He appeared in 554 career games and averaged 8.5 points and 3.1 assists.
Lue attended the University of Nebraska, where he was selected First-Team All-Big 12 in 1998 and had his jersey (#10) retired by the school in 2017.
Well deserved
Congratulations