The Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search has moved into an advanced phase, as Terry Stotts, Darvin Ham and Kenny Atkinson are reportedly their three final candidates.
The team will soon hold in-person interviews in Los Angeles with each candidate.
L.A. has eliminated several other candidates in the process who they previously considered, such as former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and current Milwaukee Bucks assistant Adrian Griffin.
Early on, another man rumored to be considered by the Lakers was Juwan Howard, who is the head coach for the University of Michigan Wolverines.
But he reportedly turned down the opportunity.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Many saw Juwan Howard as an intriguing option for L.A. However, the one-time NBA All-Star is reportedly not interested in the position.”
ESPN Sources: Michigan coach Juwan Howard recently declined a Los Angeles Lakers overture on the franchise’s head coaching job. Howard is coaching his two sons — Jace and Jett — in Ann Arbor.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 22, 2022
An interesting thing to consider is how many younger assistant coaches the Lakers have been interviewing during the process.
Some initially thought the team would opt for someone very experienced and established, such as Jackson, but the fact that Howard, Griffin and Ham, none of whom have ever been a head coach in the NBA, have been considered may indicate a change of thinking among the Lakers’ brass.
