.jpg) Lue as head coach of theLos Angeles Clippers in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1977-05-03)May 3, 1977 (age 48) Mexico, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Raytown (Raytown, Missouri) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Nebraska (1995–1998) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1998: 1st round, 23rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1998–2009 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2009–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Los Angeles Clippers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers (associate HC) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Los Angeles Clippers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–present | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 4,710 (8.5 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 943 (1.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,727 (3.1 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Tyronn Jamar Lue (/təˈrɒnˈluː/tə-RONLOO;[1] born May 3, 1977) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player who is the head coach of theLos Angeles Clippers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He has won NBA titles as a player and a head coach.
A formerpoint guard, Lue playedcollege basketball for theNebraska Cornhuskers before being selected by theDenver Nuggets in the first round of the1998 NBA draft with the 23rd overall pick. He was traded to theLos Angeles Lakers shortly thereafter. As a member of the Lakers, Lue won twoNBA championships in his first three seasons.
After his playing career ended in 2009, Lue became director of basketball development for theBoston Celtics.[2] In 2014, he was hired by theCleveland Cavaliers as associate head coach. Lue was promoted to head coach during the 2015–16 season, replacing the firedDavid Blatt.[3] That year, he led the team to their first and only NBA title, defeating the defending championGolden State Warriors and becoming a rare NBA rookie coach to lead his team to a title. Lue coached the Cavaliers to the Finals in the next two seasons, but lost both times to the Warriors, and was fired in October 2018. Lue went on to be the head coach of the Clippers and led them to their first Conference finals appearance.
Lue graduated fromRaytown Senior High School inRaytown, Missouri.[4] He later attended theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he played basketball and studiedsociology. Lue was a key member of the1995–96 team that won the1996 National Invitation Tournament, defeatingSaint Joseph's University in the finals.[5] He finished hisCornhuskers career ranked third all-time in assists (432), fourth in three-pointers made (145) and attempted (407), fifth in steals (154) and seventh in scoring (1,577). Lue led Nebraska in assists in each of his three seasons and finished his career tied withDave Hoppen for most games with 30 or more points (7). He declared for the NBA draft after his junior season.
Lue opted for early entry into the1998 NBA draft. He was selected 23rd overall by theDenver Nuggets but was traded on draft night to theLos Angeles Lakers withTony Battie forNick Van Exel. His first three years with the Lakers were disappointing. His playing time was limited and he suffered from injuries in 2000.
Lue excelled in the2001 playoffs. Due to his quickness, he was assigned to guardAllen Iverson during Game 1 of theFinals. In a memorable moment, Iverson executed acrossover and made a shot in front of Lue, then stepped over him.[6] Although the 76ers won Game 1, the Lakers won the next four and the NBA championship; Lue appeared in each NBA Finals game.[7]
In the off-season of 2001, Lue signed with theWashington Wizards, where he got considerably more playing time and became a better point guard.
Lue played with theOrlando Magic in2003–04 and had a lot of minutes alongsideTracy McGrady, but the team had the worst record in the NBA that season: 21–61.
After the season, Lue, McGrady,Juwan Howard, andReece Gaines were traded to theHouston Rockets forSteve Francis,Cuttino Mobley, andKelvin Cato. In Houston, Lue's playing time decreased due to the overabundance of point guards.
Lue was traded mid-season to theAtlanta Hawks forJon Barry. Lue starred in Atlanta, although again his team had the worst record in the NBA and their worst record in franchise history: 13–69.
On August 30, 2005, Lue re-signed with the Hawks.[8]
On February 16, 2008, Lue was acquired by theSacramento Kings in a trade that sentMike Bibby to the Hawks. He was waived by the Kings on February 28 without playing a game for them. After clearing waivers, Lue signed a contract with theDallas Mavericks on March 4.[9]
On July 17, 2008, Lue was signed by theMilwaukee Bucks.[10]
On February 5, 2009, Lue was traded to theOrlando Magic in exchange forKeith Bogans and cash considerations.[11] In Lue's final year as an NBA player, theDwight Howard-led Magic advanced to the2009 Finals but lost to Lue's former team, theLos Angeles Lakers.
On October 23, 2009, theBoston Celtics named Lue director of basketball development.[2] He became an assistant on Celtics' head coachDoc Rivers' staff in2011–12.[12]
In July 2013, Lue joined theLos Angeles Clippers' coaching staff.[13]
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On June 23, 2014, Lue joined theCleveland Cavaliers as associate head coach, becoming the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA. Lue had been a top candidate for the Cavaliers' head coaching job, which eventually went toDavid Blatt.[14]
On January 22, 2016, Lue was named head coach of the Cavaliers immediately following the mid-season firing of Blatt.[15] He was signed to a three-year contract.[3] Lue coached the Cavaliers to an NBA championship that spring. In May, the Cavaliers defeated theToronto Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, continuing their unbeaten streak in the 2016 playoffs and making Lue the first coach in NBA history to win his first 10 postseason games.[16] Eight days later, Lue led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, becoming one of the few coaches to reach the Finals after becoming head coach in midseason. On June 19, 2016, the Cavaliers won their first NBA championship. Lue became the second rookie head coach in two years to win the title, the third head coach (along withPaul Westhead in 1979–80 andPat Riley in 1981–82) to win a championship after becoming head coach in midseason, and the 14th person to have won an NBA championship as a head coach and as a player.[17][18] Lue's coaching style in Cleveland relied on flexibility andLeBron James's consistency; he shuffled players around James to adjust to matchups. In 2016, his Finals team followed the Warriors' own blueprint to beat them. According to one writer, Lue's teams could look undisciplined and unprepared in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he was praised for his ability to "think several moves ahead and create matchup advantages".[19] At the2016 ESPY Awards, Lue was namedBest Coach/Manager, and the Cavaliers were namedBest Team.
In the2016–17 NBA season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to a 51–31 record. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers went 12–1 heading into the2017 NBA Finals before losing to theGolden State Warriors in five games. After the season concluded,Kyrie Irving, who had been with the Cavaliers since the2010–2011 season, was traded to theBoston Celtics per his request. This trade ended thesuperteam era of the Cavaliers.[20][21][22]
On March 19, 2018, Lue announced that he would take a leave of absence from coaching the Cavaliers, citing recurrent chest pain.[23] Lue returned to coach before the regular season ended and helped the Cavaliers reach the2018 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Warriors in four games.
LeBron James left as a free agent before the 2018-19 season and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Most of the remaining Cleveland Cavaliers roster, which had made the previous four NBA Finals, was composed of aging players. On October 28, 2018, the Cavaliers fired Lue after an 0–6 start to the season.[24]
After Cleveland fired him, Lue worked in an informal role with Doc Rivers, who was now the head coach of theLos Angeles Clippers.[25] Prior to the2019–20 season, Lue was named the lead assistant coach on Rivers' staff.[26]
On October 20, 2020, Lue was promoted to Clippers head coach after Rivers' departure.[27] In his first season, Lue led the Clippers to the Western Conference finals, their first conference finals appearance in franchise history,[28] but lost to thePhoenix Suns in six games.
On May 29, 2024, Lue agreed to a 5-year contract of almost $70 million to return as the head coach of the Clippers.[29][30]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | L.A. Lakers | 15 | 0 | 12.5 | .431 | .438 | .571 | .4 | 1.7 | .3 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 1999–00† | L.A. Lakers | 8 | 0 | 18.3 | .487 | .500 | .750 | 1.5 | 2.1 | .4 | .0 | 6.0 |
| 2000–01† | L.A. Lakers | 38 | 1 | 12.3 | .427 | .324 | .792 | .8 | 1.2 | .5 | .0 | 3.4 |
| 2001–02 | Washington | 71 | 0 | 20.5 | .427 | .447 | .762 | 1.7 | 3.5 | .7 | .0 | 7.8 |
| 2002–03 | Washington | 75 | 24 | 26.5 | .433 | .341 | .875 | 2.0 | 3.5 | .6 | .0 | 8.6 |
| 2003–04 | Orlando | 76 | 69 | 30.7 | .433 | .383 | .771 | 2.5 | 4.2 | .8 | .1 | 10.5 |
| 2004–05 | Houston | 21 | 3 | 22.8 | .393 | .333 | .778 | 1.9 | 2.8 | .4 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Atlanta | 49 | 46 | 31.2 | .464 | .364 | .871 | 2.2 | 5.4 | .5 | .0 | 13.5 | |
| 2005–06 | Atlanta | 51 | 10 | 24.2 | .459 | .457 | .855 | 1.6 | 3.1 | .5 | .1 | 11.0 |
| 2006–07 | Atlanta | 56 | 17 | 26.6 | .416 | .348 | .883 | 1.9 | 3.6 | .4 | .0 | 11.4 |
| 2007–08 | Atlanta | 33 | 3 | 17.1 | .439 | .435 | .857 | 1.2 | 1.8 | .3 | .0 | 6.8 |
| Dallas | 17 | 0 | 10.1 | .474 | .529 | .250 | .8 | .9 | .0 | .1 | 3.8 | |
| 2008–09 | Milwaukee | 30 | 0 | 13.1 | .454 | .467 | .750 | 1.2 | 1.5 | .2 | .0 | 4.7 |
| Orlando | 14 | 0 | 9.2 | .395 | .353 | .667 | .8 | 1.0 | .1 | .0 | 3.0 | |
| Career | 554 | 173 | 22.7 | .437 | .391 | .829 | 1.7 | 3.1 | .5 | .0 | 8.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | 0 | 11.0 | .412 | .000 | .000 | .7 | 2.0 | .7 | .0 | 4.7 |
| 2001† | L.A. Lakers | 15 | 0 | 8.7 | .345 | .385 | .800 | .7 | .7 | .8 | .1 | 1.9 |
| 2008 | Dallas | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2009 | Orlando | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 21 | 0 | 8.1 | .388 | .375 | .800 | .6 | .8 | .7 | .0 | 2.3 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 2015–16 | 41 | 27 | 14 | .659 | 1st inCentral | 21 | 16 | 5 | .762 | WonNBA championship |
| Cleveland | 2016–17 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 1st in Central | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Cleveland | 2017–18 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 1st in Central | 22 | 12 | 10 | .545 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Cleveland | 2018–19 | 6 | 0 | 6 | .000 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| L.A. Clippers | 2020–21 | 72 | 47 | 25 | .653 | 2nd inPacific | 19 | 10 | 9 | .526 | Lost inconference finals |
| L.A. Clippers | 2021–22 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Pacific | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 2022–23 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3rd in Pacific | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2023–24 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 1st in Pacific | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost infirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 2024–25 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Pacific | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost infirst round |
| Career | 611 | 362 | 249 | .592 | 98 | 57 | 41 | .582 | |||
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Lue is afirst cousin once removed ofBoston Celtics small forwardJayson Tatum. As a native ofSt. Louis, Tatum grew up within two hours of Lue's hometown ofMexico, Missouri, and often attended his family barbecues.[32]
Tyronn Lue (Ta-RON LEW)
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