Tyronn Jamar Lue ( ; 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 (appro ...

coach and former player who is the head coach of 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 ...

of 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). 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, helping them win their first and only NBA title. A former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, Lue played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Nebraska Cornhuskers 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the first round of the

1998 NBA draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the Tor ...

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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. 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, becoming a rare NBA rookie coach to lead his team to a title. Lue coached the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in the next two seasons, but lost both times to 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, 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.

High school and college career

Lue graduated from Raytown Senior High School in

Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The current mayor of Raytown ...

. He later attended the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

, where he played basketball and studied

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. Lue was a key member of the 1995–96 team that won the 1996 National Invitation Tournament, defeating

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a Private university, private Jesuits, Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Jesuits, Society of J ...

in the finals. He finished his Cornhuskers 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 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

. He was selected 23rd overall by the

but was traded on draft night to the

with Tony Battie for

Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA ...

. 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 assigned 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) as both a shooting guard and point guard. As an NBA rook ...

during Game 1 of the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. In a memorable moment, Iverson executed a crossover 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; Lue appeared 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

, where he got considerably more playing time and 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in 2003–04 and had a lot of minutes alongside Tracy McGrady, but the team had the worst record in the NBA that season: 21–61.

Houston Rockets (2004)

After the season, 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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato. In Houston, Lue's playing time decreased due to the overabundance of point guards.

Atlanta Hawks (2004–2008)

Lue was traded mid-season to the

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

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 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 ...

in a trade that sent

Mike Bibby Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach at California State University, Sacramento. He played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the ...

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 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 ...

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Return to the Magic (2009)

On February 5, 2009, Lue was traded to the

in exchange for Keith Bogans and cash considerations. In Lue's final year as an NBA player, the Dwight Howard-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. He became an assistant on Celtics' head coach

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

' staff in 2011–12.

Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014)

In July 2013, Lue joined the

' 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 The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

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 Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

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 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 ...

'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". At the 2016 ESPY Awards, Lue was named Best Coach/Manager, and the Cavaliers were named Best Team. On October 28, 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired Lue after an 0–6 start to the season.

Return to the Clippers (2019–present)

After Cleveland fired him, Lue worked in an informal role with Doc Rivers, who was now the head coach of the

. 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. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

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.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 15 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .431 , , .438 , , .571 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 8 , , 0 , , 18.3 , , .487 , , .500 , , .750 , , 1.5 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 38 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .427 , , .324 , , .792 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 71 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .427 , , .447 , , .762 , , 1.7 , , 3.5 , , .7 , , .0 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 75 , , 24 , , 26.5 , , .433 , , .341 , , .875 , , 2.0 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .0 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Orlando , 76 , , 69 , , 30.7 , , .433 , , .383 , , .771 , , 2.5 , , 4.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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

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

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

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

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 30 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .454 , , .467 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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

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

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 15 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .345 , , .385 , , .800 , , .7 , , .7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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

, 2 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, style="text-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

, - style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 41, , 27, , 14, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 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 Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

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

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

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 ...

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

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 50, , 32, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 22, , 12, , 10, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

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

, 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 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 ...

, , 19, , 10, , 9, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in conference finals , - , 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 , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 44, , 38, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Pacific, , 5, , 1, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 51, , 31, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Pacific, , 6, , 2, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

, - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 50, , 32, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Pacific, , 7, , 3, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

, - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career, , 611, , 362, , 249, , , , , , 98, , 57, , 41, , , ,

Awards and honors

NBA: * Three-time NBA champion **Two as a player (, ) **One as a head coach () * All-Star Game head coach () USA Basketball: *Olympic Gold Medal winner (as an assistant coach of the 2024 United States men's Olympic basketball team) NCAA: * First-team All- Big 12 (1998) * No. 10 retired by the Nebraska Cornhuskers Media * 2016 ESPY Award Best Coach/Manager * 2016 ESPY Award for Best Team (as coach of the Cavaliers) State/Local: *Street in Lue's hometown of Mexico, Missouri 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, and often attended his family barbecues.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lue, Tyronn 1977 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches 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 NBA championship–winning head coaches Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball players Orlando Magic players People from Mexico, Missouri People from Raytown, Missouri Sportspeople from Jackson County, Missouri Point guards Washington Wizards players Coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympics