Tyronn Jamar Lue (pronounced ''Ta-RON LEW''; born May 3, 1977) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach and former player who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He formerly served as the head coach of the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

, helping them win their first NBA title in franchise history. A former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

, Lue played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

before being selected by the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft with the 23rd overall pick. He was traded to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

shortly thereafter. As a member of the Lakers, Lue won two NBA championships in his first three seasons. After his playing career ended in 2009, Lue became Director of Basketball Development for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. In 2014, he was hired by the Cavaliers as associate head coach. Lue was promoted to head coach during the 2015–16 season, replacing the fired David Blatt. That same season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship and became one of the few rookie coaches in the NBA to ever lead his team to a title. Lue coached the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons; in both seasons, the Cavaliers were defeated by the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

. Lue was fired by Cleveland in October 2018. Lue went on to be the head coach of the Clippers and led them to their first Conference Finals appearance in franchise history.

High school and college career

Lue graduated from

Raytown Senior High School Raytown Senior High School is a high school located in Raytown, Missouri. The school was established in 1914. The enrollment of Raytown High School currently stands at 1503 students. The school, located in downtown Raytown, underwent two years of r ...

Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 census. The mayor of Raytown is Michael McDonough and the mayor ''pro tem'' is Ryan Myers. It is part of the Ka ...

. He later attended the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...

, where he played basketball and studied

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. Lue was a key member of the 1995-96 team that won the NIT, defeating St. Joseph's in the finals. He finished his

Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

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 with

Dave Hoppen David Dirk Hoppen (born March 13, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues. Hoppen played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and is the progr ...

for most games with 30 or more points (7). He declared for the NBA draft after his junior season.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (1998–2001)

Lue opted for early entry into the 1998 NBA draft. He was selected 23rd overall by the

but was traded on draft night to the

with Tony Battie in exchange for Nick 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 the 2001 playoffs. Due to his quickness, he was specifically used to guard

Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iv ...

during Game 1 of the Finals. In a memorable moment in Game 1, Iverson executed a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

and made a shot in front of Lue, then stepped over him. Although the 76ers won Game 1, the Lakers won the next four and the NBA championship, with Lue appearing in each NBA Finals game.

Washington Wizards (2001–2003)

In the off-season of 2001, Lue signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, where he got considerably more playing time and subsequently became a better point guard.

Orlando Magic (2003–2004)

Lue played with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

in 2003–04 and had a lot of minutes alongside

Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...

, but the team had the worst record in the NBA that season: 21–61.

Houston Rockets (2004)

After the season concluded, Lue, McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Reece Gaines were traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

for

Steve Francis Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along with Elton Brand) in his fi ...

, Cuttino Mobley and

Kelvin Cato Kelvin Tavares Cato (born August 26, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Cato was an obscure player averaging six points and six rebounds at the University of South Alabama in 1992–93. At that time, he ...

. In Houston, Lue saw a notable decrease in playing time due to the overabundance of point guards on the Rockets' roster.

Atlanta Hawks (2004–2008)

Lue was traded mid-season to the Atlanta Hawks for Jon 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.

Dallas Mavericks (2008)

On February 16, 2008, Lue was acquired by the Sacramento Kings in a trade that sent Mike Bibby to the Hawks. He was waived by the Kings on February 28, 2008, without playing a game for them. After clearing waivers, Lue signed a contract with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

on March 4.

Milwaukee Bucks (2008–2009)

On July 17, 2008, Lue was signed by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

Return to the Magic (2009)

On February 5, 2009, Lue was traded back to the

in exchange for Keith Bogans and cash considerations. In Lue's final year as an NBA player, the

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...

-led Magic advanced to the 2009 Finals but lost to Lue's former team, the

Coaching career

Boston Celtics (2011–2013)

On October 23, 2009, the

named Lue director of basketball development.

Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014)

In July 2013, Lue joined the Los Angeles Clippers' coaching staff.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2014–2018)

On June 23, 2014, Lue joined the

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 to David Blatt. On January 22, 2016, Lue was named head coach of the Cavaliers immediately following the mid-season firing of Blatt. He was signed to a three-year contract. Lue coached the Cavaliers to an NBA championship that spring. In May, the Cavaliers defeated the Toronto 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. 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 with Paul Westhead in 1979–80 and Pat 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. In the 2016–17 NBA season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to a 51–31 record. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers went 12–1 heading into the 2017 NBA Finals before losing to the

in five games. On March 19, 2018, Lue announced that he would take a leave of absence from coaching the Cavaliers, citing recurrent chest pain. Lue returned to coach before the regular season ended and helped the Cavaliers reach the 2018 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Warriors in four games. Lue's coaching style in Cleveland relied on flexibility and LeBron 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. Lue's style was described as undisciplined and unprepared in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he has been praised for his ability to "think several moves ahead and create matchup advantages". At the

2016 ESPY Awards The 2016 ESPY Awards were held on July 13, 2016. The show, hosted by professional wrestler John Cena, was held in the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. 31 competitive awards and eight honorary awards were presented. Winners and n ...

, Lue was named Best Coach/Manager and the Cavaliers were named Best Team. On October 28, 2018, the Cavaliers fired Lue after a 0–6 start to the season.

Return to the Clippers (2019–present)

After Cleveland fired him, Lue worked in an informal role with head coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers. Prior to the 2019–20 season, Lue was named the lead assistant coach on Rivers' staff. On October 20, 2020, Lue was promoted to Clippers head coach after Rivers' departure. In his first season, Lue led the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals, their first conference finals appearance in franchise history, but lost to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in six games.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .431 , , .438 , , .571 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 18.3 , , .487 , , .500 , , .750 , , 1.5 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 38 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .427 , , .324 , , .792 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 71 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .427 , , .447 , , .762 , , 1.7 , , 3.5 , , .7 , , .0 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 75 , , 24 , , 26.5 , , .433 , , .341 , , .875 , , 2.0 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .0 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 76 , , 69 , , 30.7 , , .433 , , .383 , , .771 , , 2.5 , , 4.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, 21 , , 3 , , 22.8 , , .393 , , .333 , , .778 , , 1.9 , , 2.8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, 49 , , 46 , , 31.2 , , .464 , , .364 , , .871 , , 2.2 , , 5.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 10 , , 24.2 , , .459 , , .457 , , .855 , , 1.6 , , 3.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 56 , , 17 , , 26.6 , , .416 , , .348 , , .883 , , 1.9 , , 3.6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 3 , , 17.1 , , .439 , , .435 , , .857 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 10.1 , , .474 , , .529 , , .250 , , .8 , , .9 , , .0 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 30 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .454 , , .467 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 14 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .395 , , .353 , , .667 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 554 , , 173 , , 22.7 , , .437 , , .391 , , .829 , , 1.7 , , 3.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 8.5

Playoffs

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1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .412 , , .000 , , .000 , , .7 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

† , align="left" ,

, 15 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .345 , , .385 , , .800 , , .7 , , .7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, align="left" , Orlando , 1 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 5.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .388 , , .375 , , .800 , , .6 , , .8 , , .7 , , .0 , , 2.3

Head coaching record

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Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 41, , 27, , 14, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

, , 21, , 16, , 5, , , style="text-align:center;", Won

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 51, , 31, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 18, , 13, , 5, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

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, style="text-align:left;", , 6 , , 0 , , 6 , , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 72, , 47, , 25, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Pacific, , 19, , 10, , 9, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to: * NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association * NHL Conference Finals, National Hockey League * KHL Conference Finals The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and We ...

, - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 42, , 40, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Pacific, , –, , –, , –, , – , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career, , 365, , 217, , 148, , , , , , 80, , 51, , 29, , , ,

Awards and honors

As player: * 2×

NBA champion The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Co ...

(, ) * First-team All- Big 12 (1998) * No. 10 retired by the

As coach: *

() * All-Star Game head coach () * 2016 ESPY Award Best Coach/Manager * 2016 ESPY Award for Best Team (as coach of the Cavaliers) Other: *Street in Lue's hometown of

Mexico, Missouri , image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico. , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

named "Tyronn Lue Boulevard"

Personal life

Lue is a first cousin once removed of

small forward Jayson Tatum. As a native of St. Louis, Tatum grew up within two hours of Lue's hometown of

Mexico, Missouri , image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico. , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

, and often attended his family barbecues.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lue, Tyronn 1977 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from Missouri Basketball players from Missouri Boston Celtics assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Dallas Mavericks players Denver Nuggets draft picks Houston Rockets players Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches Los Angeles Clippers head coaches Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball players Orlando Magic players People from Mexico, Missouri People from Raytown, Missouri Point guards Washington Wizards players