Report: Mark Jackson interviewed for Lakers coaching job

Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, who’s currently a broadcaster for ABC/ESPN, interviewed for the Lakers‘ head coaching vacancy, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Jackson compiled a 121-109 record in three seasons with the Warriors from 2011-2014, reaching the postseason twice. He’s a finalist for the lead coaching job in Sacramento, and is reportedly the favored choice of the team’s owner. The Kings are expected to select their new coach by the end of the week.

A report last month from Sam Amick of The Athletic indicated that LeBron James would be “very enthused” to see Jackson become the Lakers’ next coach, although James also favored Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd before the team ended up hiring Frank Vogel in 2019. Los Angeles won the championship in Vogel’s first year, but he was fired after the team had a disappointing season in 2021-22, finishing with a 33-49 record.

The Lakers anticipate they’ll interview eight-to-10 candidates for the position via Zoom before narrowing down their list, tweets ESPN's Dave McMenamin. The interviews are being conducted by the Buss family, GM Rob Pelinka and senior advisor Kurt Rambis.

Although the search has picked up steam this week, it’s still considered to be in the early stages, per The Athletic's Bill Oram. The team also interviewed former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts.