From Lakers forward to head coach
By Hayden Chambless
Four years after leaving the Lakers as a player, Luke Walton scored the job of Lakers head coach in 2016. He is the son of UCLA star and well-known NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton and was named after Portland Trail Blazers star Maurice Lucas, so, one could say he was destined for success.
The San Diego native started his basketball career at the University of Arizona in 1999. During his best season, junior year, there he averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and .6 blocks per game. In 2003 he graduated and set his sights on entering the NBA.
He was drafted by the Lakers that year as the second pick in the second round. In 2005 he was nominated to represent Los Angeles in the Shooting Stars Competition during All-Star Weekend. The 2006–07 season was the best of his NBA career. He scored a high of 25 points in a single game against Atlanta that December. He also posted career-high per-game averages in minutes, field goal percentage, steals, blocks, rebounds and assists that year as the starting small forward.
After his impressive season, the Lakers signed him to a 6-year $30 million contract. The Lakers then made three straight runs to the NBA Finals. In 2008 they fell to the Celtics but came back to defeat the Magic in 2009 and the Celtics in 2010 to win back-to-back championships. Walton’s father also won two championships during his NBA career.
After playing in a total of 484 game for Los Angeles over the span of nine years, Walton was traded to the Cavaliers. There he was admired for his ability to pass the basketball and make assists.
In 2011, while he was still player for the Lakers, Walton got his first taste of coaching. The University of Memphis hired him as an assistant during the NBA lockout. Following his retirement from the league he was hired as a player development coach by the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the 2013–14 season.
The next season Walton was picked up by Golden State as an assistant coach. That season he got his third NBA Championship, his first as a coach. Also at the Warriors, Walton got to try his hand at the job of head coach when Steve Kerr took an indefinite leave of absence due to back problems. He was named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month in October and November of 2015. In 2016, Kerr resumed his position as head coach and Walton was hired by the Lakers.
The Lakers are a young team being coach by the youngest head coach in the league. Since his start as head coach, the Lakers defense has improved immensely. Walton reportedly has signed a five-year contract with the team worth about $25 million. The franchise is looking for stability, and Walton is ready to offer it.
