Former LA Head Coach Reveals Whether He'd Ever Want To Return

Originally posted on FanNation All Lakers
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated 8/31/23

Byron Scott is far more remember these days as the excellent two-way force who started for championship squads with your Los Angeles Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988, during a 10-year stint with his hometown team.

The 6'2" wing out of Arizona State also played for the Indiana Pacers and the then-Vancouver Grizzlies before returning to LA for his NBA swan swong, a 1996-97 season that's best remembered now as the first year Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant donned the Purple and Gold.

But Scott also enjoyed an extended career as a coach in the league after his playing career wound up.

He served as an assistant coach on some contending Sacramento Kings clubs from 1998-2000 before taking the head gig with the then-New Jersey Nets. From the bench, he led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 (where they lost to his former team) and 2003 (where they lost to Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs).

Scott then took the head job with the then-New Orleans Hornets (he's been affiliated with a bunch of teams who have since re-branded, huh?) from 2004-2009, stewarding a young Chris Paul through some early playoff successes. During this period, Scott was twice a head coach in the All-Star Game thanks to his possessing the best record in his conference at the time, in 2002 and 2008.

His head coaching luck began to change after that. He was the man in charge of the post-LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers, from 2010-2013. His last head coaching gig, to date, was leading the Lakers through their final two seasons with a then-overpaid Kobe Bryant, whom he had once played with when the latter was a rookie. He led LA to a dismal 38-126 record during his time with the team.

Overall, he boasts a 454-647 (41.2%) regular season head coaching record, plus a 33-24 (57.9%) playoff record.

During a fresh interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson on Robinson's show Scoop B Selects, Scott set the record straight on whether he was interested in ever coaching again.