Tyronn Lue is set to be one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA after signing a long-term contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers confirmed the signing early Wednesday morning; according to ESPN reports, both owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank were “eager to secure Lue on a new deal” and that negotiations with Lue’s agent led to a finalized agreement within the last couple of days.
The exact terms of Lue’s new contract extension were not immediately released.
In a statement, Lue expressed how much he has enjoyed serving as the team’s head coach over the past four seasons and thanked the organization for their trust in him.
“This is where I want to be…I’ve loved coaching this team for the past four years and I’m excited to head into a new era at Intuit Dome,” Lue’s statement said. “With our ownership, front office, roster, staff and arena, we have all the advantages we need to win in the present and the future, and I’m confident we will.”
Lue, 47, has won over 50% of his games as Clippers head coach (184-134) and has led the team to the NBA Playoffs in three of the last four seasons. In 2023-24, Lue guided the Clippers to a 51-31 record and secured the franchise’s third Pacific Division title.
He also became the first Clippers coach to win back-to-back Coach of the Month awards last season and is already the third-winningest coach in Clippers history.
Before his tenure with the Clippers, the Missouri native played college basketball at the University of Nebraska, where he had his jersey number retired in 2017.
Lue played 11 seasons in the NBA and won two championships with the Lakers before retiring and eventually being hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers; he coached the Cavs to their first-ever league title in 2016.
As a head coach, Lue has a record of 312-217 (.590) in the regular season and 54-37 (.593) in the playoffs.
