Dan Hurley has shared his wife Andrea’s initial reaction to the Lakers offering him the head coaching role.
The UConn coach declined LA’s six-year, $70 million contract offer in favor of pursuing a third national championship with the Huskies.
During an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Hurley, 51, candidly discussed his wife’s emotional response to the situation.
He recounted, “She was like crying in the beginning. I think initially, the first couple days of it, she got violently angry and emotional, not like hitting me and stuff… she got emotional like, ‘I can’t believe you’re bringing this. Our life is so great… it’s perfect. Our lives couldn’t be better and now you’re bringing this sh*t.”
“She was upset at first but then she warmed up to it after meeting Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss, as well as experiencing the weather and environment. However, upon returning to Connecticut without making a decision, we both decided to stay at UConn,” Hurley added.
Hurley mentioned that he felt pressured to make a quick decision due to the media frenzy surrounding the offer.
He clarified, “One of the worst takes I’ve heard is that this is a leverage play by me to improve my situation at UConn. I don’t need leverage here. We’ve won back-to-back national championships at this place. This was never a leverage situation for me.”
“I’ve had a contract in place here for a while. While some renegotiations are still pending, the idea that this was a ploy to get a better deal at UConn is simply untrue,” Hurley emphasized.
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