Long considered the favorite for the gig, Byron Scott confirmed Saturday night that he’s been hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reportedly, the deal is a four-year pact at $17 million. The team, however, remains mum on the issue.
Per the LA Times:
Despite the Lakers’ insistence that nothing was official, Scott said in a telephone interview with KCBS-TV that he accepted the job and was making plans for the immediate future of a team that went 27-55 last season.
“It feels fantastic,” Scott told longtime TV sports anchor Jim Hill. “This is a dream come true. I always wanted to coach the Lakers, especially when I got to coaching.”
Scott, 53, said he had been speaking with Kobe Bryant through most of the summer. The two have known each other since Bryant’s rookie year, 1996-97, which happened to be Scott’s final season as a pro. […] “This is a future Hall of Famer, we all know that, and I feel that he is going to be helping me as well because we see the game in a very similar way,” Scott said. “We know that we have to get it done on the defensive end first, and he knows right now, in the last stage of his career, that he is going to have to do some things differently. I love the fact that people keep doubting that this man is going to come back and play great, because I know in my heart, and knowing him the way I do, that he loves those type of challenges.”
