Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former 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 (appro ...

player and head coach in the

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

(NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

during their Showtime era in the 1980s. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year with the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) in 2008.

Early life and college career

Scott grew up in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, and played at Morningside High School, in the shadow of what was then the Lakers' home arena, The Forum. He played college basketball at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

for three years and had a successful career with the Sun Devils. He was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1980 and First-team All-Pac-10 in 1983. He averaged 17.5 points per game in his career for the Sun Devils. He left after his junior year, entering the 1983 NBA draft. In 2011, his No. 11 was retired by the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Professional career

NBA

Selected by the San Diego Clippers in the first round, with the fourth pick of the 1983 NBA draft, Scott was traded to the

in 1983 in exchange for Norm Nixon. During his playing career, Scott suited up for the Lakers,

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

and

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

. Scott was a key player for the Lakers during the Showtime era, being a starter alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and A.C. Green. He played for the Lakers for 10 consecutive seasons (1983–1993). During that time he was on three NBA championship teams (1985, 1987, 1988). As a rookie, Scott was a member of the 1984 all-rookie team, averaging 10.6 PPG in 22 MPG. He led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.433) in 1984–85. In 1987–88, Scott enjoyed his best season, leading the NBA champion Lakers in scoring, averaging a career-best 21.7 ppg, and in steals (1.91 spg). He was the Lakers' starting shooting guard from 1984 until 1993. Scott was released by the Lakers after the 1992–93 season and signed a free-agent contract with the Pacers. In Game 1 of the Pacers' first-round playoff matchup against 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

, Scott hit the game-winning three-point shot with 2.4 seconds left. The Pacers would go on to sweep the Magic and eventually advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. Scott was left unprotected by the Pacers in the 1995 NBA expansion draft and was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies, where he played one season. In 1996–97, the last year of Scott's playing career in the NBA, he went back to the Lakers and proved to be a valuable mentor for a team featuring

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and 18-year-old rookie

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

(Scott would be Bryant's coach on the Lakers towards the end of the latter's career). The Lakers made it to the playoffs in the 1996-97 season with a 56 - 26 record and reached the semi-finals against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. Game 4 of this series was Scott's last game of his NBA career. In that game, Scott played for 15 and half minutes and recorded 4 points and 5 assists. The Lakers unfortunately lost the game 95 - 110 to drop to 3 - 1 in the series. Scott would sit out for Game 5 as the Lakers lost 93 - 98 and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Panathinaikos

In the summer of 1997, Scott signed with the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

team Panathinaikos for the 1997–98 season. That season, he played with Panathinaikos in both the

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...

(known then as the FIBA EuroCup), Europe's second-tier level competition after the top-tier EuroLeague, and the Greek Basket League. In the Saporta Cup's 1997–98 season, he averaged 13.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, in 25.6 minutes per game, in 17 games played. Scott helped to lead his team to the Greek Basket League championship with his scoring in many crucial games. In the Greek Basket League's 1997–98 season, he averaged 17.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, in 33.7 minutes per game, in 34 games played. After one season with the Greek Basket League champions, Scott retired from playing professional basketball, and began his coaching career.

Coaching career

Sacramento Kings

Scott began his NBA coaching career in 1998 as an assistant with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

under

Rick Adelman Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden S ...

. He served as an advance scout that looked at game plans on offense alongside work in the perimeter.

New Jersey Nets

On June 27, 2000, Scott was hired to coach the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

after being offered the job the previous day by general manager Rod Thorn. He was hired to replace Don Casey, who had been fired on April 26 after coaching the team since March 1999. Scott was considered for the

job prior to reaching with Thorn, who himself had been hired recently to try and turn over a team that had missed the playoffs in five of the past six seasons while having had twelve head coaches in 23 seasons as an NBA franchise; the day that Scott was hired was right before the 2000 NBA draft, for which the Nets had the first overall pick. His team performed poorly in his first year, winning just 26 games with new draft pick Kenyon Martin. Stephen Jackson made an impression as a first-year player having come from the CBA and foreign leagues that year but was not retained. Years later, Jackson called Scott the "worst communicator for young guys". However, the team would improve in dividends in the 2001–02 season with the arrival of

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

in a trade that sent Stephon Marbury to the Phoenix Suns. Kidd and the Nets won 52 games, a franchise record. In the process, they won their first Atlantic Division crown and were the number one seed. In the first round against the

, the Nets had to play the full five games to narrowly avoid an upset, which saw them go on a 13-2 barrage in the second overtime to win their first playoff series since 1984. In the semifinals against Charlotte, they dispatched them in five games to advance to their first Conference Finals as an NBA team and first overall semifinal since the ABA era in 1976. They faced 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the Conference Finals and split the first four games, which notably saw them blow a 26-point lead in Game 3. The Nets rallied with decisive victories in Game 5 and 6 to win the series. They appeared in their first

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

against the

, who were headlined by

and

in their third straight NBA Finals appearance. In Game 1, Kidd had the first triple-double in an NBA Finals since 1993, but the Lakers led by a score of 42–19 only six minutes into the second quarter and never looked back in a 99–94 win. In Game 2, the Nets were down six by the first quarter being over and never cut into the lead after that on the road to a 23-point loss. Game 3 was the only tight game that saw the Nets lead until Robert Horry made a three-point shot with 3:04 to go that gave the Lakers a go-ahead lead they never lost. The Nets lost Game 4 by a score of 113–107 as the Lakers won their third straight championship. The following campaign saw them regress to 49 wins, marred by injuries to newly acquired

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (June 25, 1966 – September 30, 2024) was a Congolese-American professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo ...

that saw Kidd as their lone All-Star. They were 34–15 at the All-Star break, but they played below .500 the rest of the year to wind up with 49 wins, which was one short of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

for the number one seed in the East. In the First Round against 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, they split the first four games before eventually pulling out a series win in Game 6. They did not lose again for the next two rounds, dispatching Boston in the Semifinals and the Pistons in a straight sweep to win their second straight conference championship. They were matched in the

to face the 60-win

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, headlined by two-time league MVP Tim Duncan, a retiring David Robinson, and future stars

Manu Ginobili Manu may refer to: Religion Proto Indo European Mythology * Manu (Indo European Mythology) one of the mythical duo Manu and Yemo Ancient Mesopotamia * Manu the Great, a Chaldean god of fate Hinduism * Manu (Hinduism), Hindu progenitor of man ...

and Tony Parker. The two teams split the first four games. The Spurs won Game 1 after a 32-17 third quarter to ultimately win by 12, but New Jersey won Game 2 after a ten-point fourth quarter lead nearly turned into a loss before a missed three point shot with seconds remaining meant the Nets held on to win 87–85. In Game 3, the Spurs trailed by three before the fourth quarter started but took the lead with eight minutes remaining and never relinquished it. Game 4 saw the Nets lead by eleven points in a tight defensive affair that saw both teams score under 80 points for the only time in the series. The Spurs were up by one in the fourth quarter after a busy third quarter, but Kidd made four free throws in the final nine seconds as the Nets won 77–76 to tie the series. In Game 5, the Spurs took control early and led for a majority of the game, and after making a shot in the third quarter with three minutes remaining to take the lead back, they never looked back in a 93–83 win. Game 6 saw the Nets on the brink of elimination. The Nets took the lead on the first points and even had a 10-point barrage at one point, but they were only up three points at halftime. By the end of the third, they were up 63-57 and had not trailed once. The Nets led 72–63 with 8:55 left to play in the fourth quarter. However, the Nets went cold in an instant, losing the lead through the help of Duncan and newly acquired Stephen Jackson to score ten points in the span of two minutes. The Nets scored just five points in the last 8:55 of the game while the Spurs ended up with 25 in that same span as the Nets allowed 19 unanswered points, complete with Duncan nearly having a quadruple-double (21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, 8 blocks) while a retiring Robinson had 13 points and 17 rebounds. The Nets scored 492 total points in the series, the second lowest for a six-game series while shooting 34.5%. Kidd was quoted as saying that the team lost their composure and "unraveled". By July 2003, tension was apparent with the Nets, who were being dogged by reports that Kidd asked that Scott to be fired in order for him to agree to re-sign to a six-year contract. Scott himself admitted that his stubborn qualities with Kidd requires him to need to try to be more of a "taskmaster" in being more hands on, particularly with the departure of assistant coach Eddie Jordan, who had left for 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

after having done his share of calling plays. Scott was approaching the 2003–04 season as the last one of his contract while being dogged by articles that had anonymous sources criticizing his coaching in the 2003 NBA Finals. Scott was fired during the 2003–04 season, as New Jersey had a disappointing 22–20 record coming into the All-Star break, even though they were leading their division at the time of his dismissal. Rumors of a rift between Scott and Kidd circulated media outlets, with sources allegedly claiming that Kidd wanted Scott out of Jersey. All the parties, including Rod Thorn, denied the reports. Scott claimed that he was "very surprised" by the report and that he and Kidd "always got along". Kidd stated later that "Sometimes change or a different voice is good." He was succeeded by his assistant Lawrence Frank. While coaching the Nets, Scott lived in Livingston, New Jersey.

New Orleans Hornets

Scott became the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. Chris Paul was drafted by the team in 2005, and was named Rookie of the Year. In the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, he guided the team to a pair of sub .500 seasons. One obstacle was that the team played most of its home games in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

due to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

's devastation of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. In the 2007–08 season, Scott had his first winning season as the Hornets head coach. They had a winning percentage of .683 with a record of 56–26. They became Southwest Division champions and finished 2nd overall in the Western Conference. He was named the head coach of the 2008 Western Conference All-Star team, and a few months after, he was awarded the 2007–08 NBA Coach of the Year Award. Due to his success, the Hornets awarded Scott with a two-year extension. The Hornets had a 30–11 home record and a 26–15 road record and clinched the second seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The Hornets won their first-round series against 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, posting a 4–1 record for the series. They would go on to face the defending champion

in the conference semifinals. An unusual trend of home court blowouts would mark the series until the deciding game 7 when the veteran Spurs would pull out a 91–82 win on the Hornets rowdy home court. The win marked the 100th playoff victory for Spurs coach

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...

. In the 2008–09 season, the Hornets finished 49–33 and entered the playoffs as a seventh seed. They faced 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the first round, losing after five brutal games, including a 58-point loss in game 4, which tied the worst margin of defeat in NBA postseason history. Scott was relieved from his head coaching duties for the Hornets on November 12, 2009, following a 3–6 start. He was mentioned as a candidate for several NBA coaching jobs, including the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

, but nothing came to fruition. Following his dismissal, he briefly served as a studio analyst for the NBA on ESPN.

Cleveland Cavaliers

On July 1, 2010, Scott was named 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, a few days before the team lost star

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. During Scott's first season at the helm of the Cavaliers, he watched his team endure a 26-game losing streak, which was then the longest such streak in NBA history. Scott was reunited with Baron Davis (whom he coached with the Hornets) when a mid-season trade brought Davis to Cleveland, and helped the Cavaliers close the season with several victories, including a 102–90 upset victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, which ensured that Cleveland did not have the worst record in the league at the season's end. Cleveland used their first overall pick to draft Kyrie Irving, who became the second point guard Scott coached to the Rookie of the Year award. His second season in Cleveland saw them show some improvement in a shortened 66-game schedule. On April 18, 2013, Scott was fired by Cleveland Cavaliers management. Though the Cavaliers ranked in the bottom five of the league in defensive efficiency in each of his three seasons, analysts were surprised at the firing given the team's young and oft-injured rosters. Irving and other Cavaliers players expressed their disappointment with the firing.

Los Angeles Lakers

Scott spent the 2013–14 season as a Lakers television analyst on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. After the season, he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach. He interviewed three times for the position, which had become vacant after

Mike D'Antoni Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While h ...

's resignation. On July 28, 2014, he signed a multi-year contract to coach the Lakers. With the team rebuilding in 2014–15, Scott finished his first season as coach of the Lakers with a 21–61 record. In the 2015 NBA draft, the Lakers selected Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell with the second overall pick. The Lakers finished a franchise-worst 17–65 in 2015–16,

's final season before retiring. On April 24, 2016, the Lakers did not exercise their option on Scott's contract for the following season, deciding to pursue a new coach. His 38–126 (.232) record with the team was the worst of any of the 16 coaches who had led the franchise for at least two seasons.

NBA career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 74 , , 49 , , 22.1 , , .484 , , .235 , , .806 , , 2.2 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 81 , , 65 , , 28.5 , , .539 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .433* , , .820 , , 2.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 76 , , 62 , , 28.8 , , .513 , , .361 , , .784 , , 2.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 82 , , 33.3 , , .489 , , .436 , , .892 , , 3.5 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 81 , , 81 , , 37.6 , , .527 , , .346 , , .858 , , 4.1 , , 4.1 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 74 , , 73 , , 35.2 , , .491 , , .399 , , .863 , , 4.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 77 , , 77 , , 33.7 , , .470 , , .423 , , .766 , , 3.1 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 82 , , 32.1 , , .477 , , .324 , , .797 , , 3.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 82 , , 32.7 , , .458 , , .344 , , .838 , , 3.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 58 , , 53 , , 28.9 , , .449 , , .326 , , .848 , , 2.3 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 67 , , 2 , , 17.9 , , .467 , , .365 , , .805 , , 1.6 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 1 , , 19.1 , , .455 , , .389 , , .850 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, 80 , , 0 , , 23.7 , , .401 , , .335 , , .835 , , 2.4 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 79 , , 8 , , 18.2 , , .430 , , .388 , , .841 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1073 , , 717 , , 28.1 , , .482 , , .370 , , .833 , , 2.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 14.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 20 , , 0 , , 20.2 , , .460 , , .200 , , .600 , , 1.9 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 19 , , 19 , , 30.8 , , .517 , , .476 , , .795 , , 2.7 , , 2.6 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 14 , , 14 , , 33.6 , , .497 , , .353 , , .905 , , 3.9 , , 3.0 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 18 , , 18 , , 33.8 , , .490 , , .206 , , .791 , , 3.4 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1988† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 24 , , 24 , , 37.4 , , .499 , , .436 , , .865 , , 4.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 11 , , 11 , , 36.5 , , .494 , , .385 , , .836 , , 4.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9 , , 9 , , 36.1 , , .462 , , .382 , , .769 , , 4.1 , , 2.6 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 18 , , 18 , , 37.7 , , .511 , , .526 , , .794 , , 3.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 4 , , 4 , , 37.0 , , .500 , , .583 , , .889 , , 2.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 5 , , 5 , , 35.4 , , .500 , , .533 , , .783 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 14.9 , , .396 , , .474 , , .784 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .340 , , .265 , , .882 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 8 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .455 , , .364 , , .895 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .0 , , 6.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 183 , , 122 , , 29.3 , , .482 , , .395 , , .819 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 13.4

Head coaching record

, - , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 26, , 56, , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 52, , 30, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 20, , 11, , 9, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 49, , 33, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 20, , 14, , 6, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 42, , 22, , 20, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 18, , 64, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans/Oklahoma City , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 38, , 44, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Southwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans/Oklahoma City , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 39, , 43, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Southwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 56, , 26, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Southwest, , 12, , 7, , 5, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 49, , 33, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Southwest, , 5, , 1, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 9, , 3, , 6, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:left;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 19, , 63, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 66, , 21, , 45, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 24, , 58, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 21, , 61, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 17, , 65, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,101, , 454, , 647, , , , , , 57, , 33, , 24, , , style="text-align:center;",

Personal life

Scott's non-profit organization, The Byron Scott Children's Fund, has raised more than $15 million over the past decade, with the proceeds going to various children's charities. Scott has recently served as a studio analyst for ABC's NBA telecasts and was featured on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. Scott and his ex-wife, Anita, have 3 children. In June 2013, Scott and Anita separated and in March 2014, he filed for divorce after 29 years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences. On July 11, 2020, Scott married Cece Gutierrez, a registered nurse and cast member of VH1's reality show '' Basketball Wives''. He converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in late 2020 following their marriage. Scott went back to school at Arizona State 37 years after leaving school early when he was drafted by the Lakers, and obtained a bachelor's degree in liberal arts, fulfilling a promise he'd made to his late mother. On May 7, 2025, Scott was accused of sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl back in the summer of 1987, during an event in which the Los Angeles Lakers attended a high school to film instructional videos at Campbell Hall High School. Scott's lawyer claimed that Scott believed the girl was 18 at the time of their encounter. The victim is seeking over $25,000 in damages.

Notes

References

External links

* at NBA.com * at NBA.com
Scott's statistics as a coach

Scott's Greek Basket League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Byron 1961 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches African-American Catholics American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players Basketball coaches from California Basketball coaches from Utah Basketball players from Inglewood, California Basketball players from Utah Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Greek Basket League players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Lakers announcers Los Angeles Lakers head coaches Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans NBA broadcasters New Jersey Nets head coaches New Orleans Hornets head coaches Panathinaikos B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Sportspeople from Livingston, New Jersey Basketball players from Essex County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah Sacramento Kings assistant coaches San Diego Clippers draft picks Shooting guards Vancouver Grizzlies expansion draft picks Vancouver Grizzlies players Converts to Roman Catholicism

Early life and college career

Professional career

NBA

Panathinaikos

Coaching career

Sacramento Kings

New Jersey Nets

New Orleans Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

Los Angeles Lakers

NBA career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

Personal life

See also

Notes

References

External links