Given his previous success in the NBA, landing Byron Scott could be a huge boost for an HBCU with a head coach opening like Florida A&M.
Three-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and former Coach of the Year Byron Scott is ready to get back into coaching at all levels, including at an HBCU. Scott participated in an exclusive interview with TMZ Sports, during which he expressed his burning desire to rejoin the coaching realm.
“Scott revealed he’s open to a wide range of programs… telling us he’s even down to lead an HBCU next season if an athletic director will give him a chance,” wrote TMZ Sports. He further delivered a clear message to athletic directors around the country.
“I plan on coming in there and turning the program around,” he said. “Hopefully I get the chance to do that, because it’s something I think I can really, really help a university.”
There is already a precedent of NBA players coming back to coach at HBCUs. Reggie Theus is the current athletic director and mens’ basketball coach at Bethune-Cookman. A two-time All-Star, Theus primarily played for the Chicago Bulls and the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings, among other squads. Theus accepted the job at Bethune-Cookman in 2021 and is the only person across Division 1 schools to hold both positions as athletic director and head basketball coach.
Hardened NBA fans will remember Byron Scott primarily from his days as a member of the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers. Scott, selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1983 Draft, had a fruitful 14-year professional career. Scott was destined to play in California: although the Clippers took him with the fourth pick, they traded the Arizona State star to the Lakers. He had an immediate impact as a rookie, quickly becoming a full-time starter for nearly 50 games. He averaged 10.6 points, 2.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals with a 48.4 field goal percentage, earning him a slot on the 1983-84 All-Rookie squad.
Scott became synonymous with the Lakers as a microwave scorer and the off-guard to Magic Johnson. He helped Los Angeles secure a title in the 1984-85 season, and then averaged 17 and 21 points in their repeat seasons of 1986-87 and 1987-88. Scott played his first 10 seasons with the Lakers before becoming an Indiana Pacer for a couple years. After a season in Vancouver due to the expansion draft, Scott returned to L.A. for one last season before retirement from the NBA.
Following his final year of professional play with the Greek BasketLeague, Byron Scott commenced his coaching career as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. He got his first head coaching gig with the New Jersey Nets. Although his first season didn’t go well (26-56 record), Scott quickly turned the Nets around. Over the next three seasons, New Jersey accumulated a 123-83 record, powered by Scott, Jason Kidd, and Kenyon Martin. The Nets reached back-to-back Finals in 2002 and 2003, but they lost in both instances. Scott only made it 42 games into the 2003-04 season when the New Jersey front office let him go.
The next season, Scott took control of the New Orleans Hornets. Though the Hornets didn’t experience the same level of success as the Nets, Scott and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul eventually made the Western Conference Finals in 2008. Following a first round exit the next year and an abysmal start in 2009, the Hornets moved on. In 2010, Scott took over in Cleveland after The Decision. He remained in Ohio until 2013, though the next year, he returned to his old stomping grounds as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached L.A. from 2014-16, and in his final game, he oversaw Kobe Bryant’s last masterpiece: a 60-point performance before his retirement.
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