Luke Walton

Last updated

Luke Walton
Luke Walton1 (cropped).jpg
Walton with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008
Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionAssistant coach
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1980-03-28) March 28, 1980 (age 43)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school University of San Diego HS
(San Diego, California)
College Arizona (1999–2003)
NBA draft 2003: 2nd round, 32nd overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career2003–2013
Position Small forward / power forward
Number4, 32
Coaching career2011–present
Career history
As player:
20032012 Los Angeles Lakers
20122013 Cleveland Cavaliers
As coach:
2011 Memphis Tigers (assistant)
2013–2014 Los Angeles D-Fenders (player development)
20142016 Golden State Warriors (assistant)
20162019 Los Angeles Lakers
20192021 Sacramento Kings
2022–presentCleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points 2,649 (4.7 ppg)
Rebounds 1,588 (2.8 rpg)
Assists 1,317 (2.3 apg)
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a forward, winning two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also won a title as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors before serving as the head coach of the Lakers from 2016 through 2019. Additionally, Walton served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings from 2019 to 2021.

Contents

Walton played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats. He was a second-team All-American and a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10. He was selected in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Lakers. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father, Hall of Famer Bill Walton, became the first father and son to have both won multiple NBA championships: Bill won in 1977 and 1986, and Luke in 2009 and 2010. [1] His best season statistically was 2006–07 with over 11 points, 5 rebounds, and over 4 assists per game.

As the Warriors' interim head coach in 2015–16, he guided the team to the longest winning streak to open a season in league history at 24 games.

Early life

The son of Susie and former UCLA star and NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton, Luke Walton was born in San Diego, California. He was named after his father's close friend and former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Maurice Lucas. [2] He has three brothers: Adam, Nathan, and Chris. Walton attended University of San Diego High School in San Diego, California, [3] graduating in 1998.

College career

Walton played basketball at the University of Arizona under coach Lute Olson. A two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection, [4] his best year statistically was as a junior, when he averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. During his senior year he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game.

Walton graduated from Arizona in the spring of 2003 after completing work in family studies and human development.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2012)

Walton was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2003 NBA draft with the second pick of the second round (32nd overall). Walton was a favorite of Lakers fans during his nine-year stint and earned a reputation as a selfless, hard-working reserve player. [5] He was chosen to represent Team Los Angeles in the Shooting Stars Competition during All-Star Weekend in 2005. [6]

In 2006–07, Walton had his best year in the NBA. He scored a career-high 25 points against the Atlanta Hawks on December 8, 2006. For the season he posted career-high per-game averages in minutes, field goal percentage, steals, blocks, rebounds, assists and points as the Lakers starting small forward. Following the season, on July 12, 2007, Walton was signed by the Lakers to a 6-year, $30 million contract. [7] The Lakers then made three straight runs to the NBA Finals; they lost to the Celtics in 2008, but defeated the Magic in 2009 and Celtics in 2010 to win back-to-back championships. This gave Walton two championships as a player, the same amount his father won.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2012–2013)

On March 15, 2012, Walton was traded along with Jason Kapono and a 2012 first-round draft choice to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. [8]

A year later would be Walton's final days as an NBA player, as his final game was on April 5, 2013, in a 97–91 victory over the Boston Celtics. In his final game Walton recorded 2 assists in 3 minutes of playing time.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Walton's first coaching experience was with the University of Memphis, which hired Walton as an assistant coach during the 2011 NBA lockout. [9] He remained an assistant at Memphis until the lockout was over.

Following his retirement Walton was hired as a player development coach by the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, joining the team in November 2013 for the 2013–14 season. [10]

Golden State Warriors (2014–2016)

The following season in 2014–15, Walton became an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Said Walton, "We are gonna run parts of the triangle offense, and I know that thing front and back." [11] The Warriors won the 2015 NBA Finals after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to give Walton his third NBA championship and first as a coach.

During 2015–16 training camp in October 2015, Walton was appointed as the Warriors interim head coach when Steve Kerr took an indefinite leave of absence to rehabilitate his back that had been bothering him after the NBA Finals. [12] [13] Walton made his coaching debut in the season opener on October 27 in a 111–95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Three games later, he presided over the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history when the Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 119–69, which was also the largest margin in the league since 1991. [14] The Warriors set a new NBA record by winning their first four games by a total margin of 100 points. [15] With a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on November 24, he guided the Warriors to a 16th consecutive victory to start the season, a new NBA record. [16]

Walton was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for games played in October and November, after guiding Golden State to a 19–0 start. [17] He received the award despite technically being winless, since the Warriors' record was credited to Kerr. Since Kerr was still the head coach, NBA rules stipulated that the team's record under an interim coach be credited to the head coach, [18] though the league considered altering the rule given Walton's case. [19] However, the NBA permits an interim or acting head coach to be eligible for coaching awards. [20] The Warriors extended their record start to 24–0. They were 39–4, the second-best start in league history, when Kerr resumed coaching full-time on January 22, 2016. [21] Golden State ended the season an NBA-record 73–9, and Kerr was voted the NBA Coach of the Year. The coach had Walton, who coached more games during the season than Kerr (43–39), sit next to him on the podium at the award press conference. Walton finished ninth in the voting, receiving one second-place and two third-place votes. [22]

Los Angeles Lakers (2016–2019)

On April 29, 2016, the Lakers hired Walton to become their new head coach once the Warriors' season ended in the 2016 NBA Finals. He replaced Byron Scott. [23]

In his first season with the Lakers, the team improved upon their franchise worst 17–65 record from the previous year, finishing 26–56. During the season, Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss were replaced by Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Johnson and Pelinka both spoke highly of Walton and said he would remain the head coach of the team.[ citation needed ] The Lakers won five of their last six games of the season, bringing some momentum into the off-season.[ citation needed ]

Walton's second season with the Lakers saw another slight improvement, as the team finished 35–47, its best record since the 2012–13 season. [24]

In 2018–19, the Lakers had high expectations after signing LeBron James to a four-year, $153.3 million contract. [25] [26] Along with James and a core of young prospects, the front office completed the roster with veterans on one-year deals, a group that was rich in ball handlers but lacking in shooters. [26] Johnson initially preached patience during the preseason. [26] After the team started the season 2–5, Johnson reprimanded Walton and demanded immediate results. [25] The Lakers were 20–14 after a Christmas win over Golden State, but James and Rajon Rondo were injured during the game, which began a downturn from which the team never recovered, ending the season 37–45. Combined with season-ending injuries to Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, the combination of James, Ball and Ingram played together for just 23 games, when they were 15–8. As a team, Lakers players missed over 210 games due to injuries, and Walton used more than 25 different starting lineups during the season. [26] Prior to the season finale, Johnson resigned, citing among his reasons that he wished to avoid conflict with owner Jeanie Buss, who supported Walton, while Johnson planned to fire him. [25] Days later on April 12, 2019, Walton and the Lakers agreed to mutually part ways. [26] [27] The Lakers went 98–148 under Walton and missed the playoffs in all three seasons. [26]

Sacramento Kings (2019–2021)

On April 14, 2019, Walton was hired by the Sacramento Kings as their head coach. [28] He and Kings general manager Vlade Divac had been teammates with the Lakers in 2004–05, which was Divac's final NBA season after spending six with Sacramento. [29] The Kings began the 2019–20 season 0–5 after losing forward Marvin Bagley III for weeks when he suffered a broken thumb in the closing minutes of a 29-point, season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns. Sacramento rebounded from their slow start to win six of their next eight. [30] They ended the season 31–41, and Divac resigned after the season. [31] The Kings finished 31–41 again in 2020–21, [32] extending the franchise's playoff drought to 15 seasons, which was the longest active streak in the league. [33] On November 21, 2021, the Kings fired Walton after a 6–11 start to the 2021–22 season. He was 68–93 in his two-plus seasons with the team. [33] [34]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2022–present)

On May 31, 2022, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Walton as an assistant coach to serve under J. B. Bickerstaff. [35]

Broadcasting career

Walton was hired by Spectrum SportsNet (known then as Time Warner Cable SportsNet) in 2013 to join their Lakers on-air broadcast team. [36]

Personal life

In December 2008, a woman named Stacy Elizabeth Beshear pleaded no contest to charges of stalking Walton. At one point, she pulled up to Walton's car and "pretended to fire gunshots at him with her hand." She was sentenced to three years' probation, told to attend weekly counseling sessions for a year and ordered to stay away for three years from Walton's home and from the Lakers' games and practices. [37]

In 2009, Walton and his father became the third father-son duo to both win NBA championships as players, following the Guokases (Matt Sr. and Matt Jr.) and the Barrys (Rick and Brent). [38] The Waltons later became the first father-son duo to each win multiple NBA titles. [39] [40]

Walton married long-time girlfriend Bre Ladd in 2013. The two met in 2002 at the University of Arizona, where she played volleyball on their varsity team, and started dating in 2005. [41] [42] They have two children. [42]

On April 22, 2019, former Spectrum SportsNet host Kelli Tennant filed a civil lawsuit against Walton, accusing him of sexual assault. [43] [44] They had appeared on the network together during Walton's brief broadcasting stint. [45] She published a book in 2014, [45] which credits him as being the author of the foreword, [46] which he later denied writing. [47] She alleged that the assault occurred afterwards, when she dropped off a copy of the book to Walton in a hotel in Santa Monica, California, while he was an assistant with Golden State. [45] According to Tennant, he invited her to his room, where he pinned her on the bed. He kissed her face, neck and chest and groped her breasts and groin area. She said he later rubbed his erection against her leg. [44] Walton denied the charges; [48] he acknowledged their meeting at the hotel, but wrote in court filings that "their encounter was very short, entirely pleasant and consensual." [46] The Kings and the NBA launched a joint investigation into her claims against Walton. [44] In August, the investigators concluded that there was "not a sufficient basis to support" the accusations. [49] Tennant declined to participate in the investigation. [50] [51] On December 5, the lawsuit was dropped at her request, with records showing it was dismissed "with prejudice", meaning she cannot re-file. It was not known whether a settlement was reached. [46]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2003–04 L.A. Lakers 72210.1.425.333.7051.81.6.4.12.4
2004–05 L.A. Lakers 61512.6.411.262.7082.31.5.4.23.2
2005–06 L.A. Lakers 69619.3.412.327.7503.62.3.6.25.0
2006–07 L.A. Lakers 606033.0.474.387.7455.04.31.0.411.4
2007–08 L.A. Lakers 743123.4.450.333.7063.92.9.8.27.2
2008–09 L.A. Lakers 653417.9.436.298.7192.82.7.5.25.0
2009–10 L.A. Lakers 2909.4.357.412.5001.31.4.3.02.4
2010–11 L.A. Lakers 5409.0.328.235.7001.21.1.2.11.7
2011–12 L.A. Lakers 907.2.429.000.0001.6.6.2.01.3
2011–12 Cleveland 21014.2.353.438.0001.71.4.1.02.0
2012–13 Cleveland 50017.1.392.299.5002.93.3.8.33.4
Career56413817.2.429.326.7152.82.3.6.24.7

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2004 L.A. Lakers 1707.9.345.385.7001.31.5.4.11.9
2006 L.A. Lakers 7733.6.458.3641.0006.41.71.0.112.1
2007 L.A. Lakers 5525.6.389.417.7504.22.61.4.27.2
2008 L.A. Lakers 21016.8.454.423.7222.62.0.5.26.0
2009 L.A. Lakers 21015.8.427.313.6112.52.1.7.13.8
2010 L.A. Lakers 1606.0.304.222.500.5.9.1.11.1
2011 L.A. Lakers 104.0.000.000.0001.0.0.0.0.0
Career881214.6.420.360.7012.31.7.5.14.3

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
L.A. Lakers 2016–17 822656.3174th in Pacific Missed playoffs
L.A. Lakers 2017–18 823547.4273rd in PacificMissed playoffs
L.A. Lakers 2018–19 823745.4514th in PacificMissed playoffs
Sacramento 2019–20 723141.4314th in PacificMissed playoffs
Sacramento 2020–21 723141.4315th in PacificMissed playoffs
Sacramento 2021–22 17611.353(fired)
Career407166241.408 

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Lakers</span> National Basketball Association team in Los Angeles, California

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 of the Western Conference. The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, an arena shared with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, with 17 NBA championships, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history. The Lakers were the champions of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Kings</span> American professional basketball team

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 of the Western Conference. The Kings are the oldest team in the NBA, and the first and only team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento. The team plays its home games at the Golden 1 Center. Their best seasons to date in the city were in the early 2000s, including a very successful 2001–02 season when they had the best record in the NBA at 61–21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Kerr</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1965)

Stephen Douglas Kerr is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known as one of the most accurate three-point shooters in NBA history. Kerr is a nine-time NBA champion, having won five titles as a player and four as head coach of the Warriors. He was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlade Divac</span> Serbian basketball player and executive (born 1968)

Vlade Divac is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of the regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Kokoškov</span> Serbian basketball player and coach

Igor Stefan Kokoškov is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Adelman</span> American basketball player and coach

Richard Leonard Adelman 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 State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyronn Lue</span> American basketball coach and former player

Tyronn Jamar Lue is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lue formerly served as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them win their first NBA title in franchise history.

Clarence "Chucky" Brown Jr. is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970)</span> American basketball coach

Michael Burton Brown is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He is also the head coach of the Nigerian national team.Brown began coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. The team reached the 2007 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Brown was honored as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Cavaliers to a team-record and league-best 66 wins in 2009. The Cavaliers won 61 games, again a league-best, in 2010. However, after the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, Brown was fired. Brown succeeded Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 before being dismissed five games into the 2012–13 season. He returned to the Cavaliers in 2013, but was fired after one season. Brown then joined the Golden State Warriors as associate head coach in 2016; the team went on to defeat the Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, and the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. He departed from the Warriors in 2022 to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. In his first year as head coach, Brown led the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 17 years, snapping the longest playoff drought in NBA history. For his efforts, Brown became the first-ever unanimous NBA Coach of the Year award winner and was named to the NBCA Coach of the Year award in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin Gentry</span> American basketball player and coach

Alvin Harris Gentry is an American professional basketball executive for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A former basketball player and coach, Gentry has served as the head coach of six NBA teams. He served as an interim head coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1994–95 season, and later coached the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Kings. He currently serves as the vice president of basketball engagement for the Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Drew</span> American basketball player and coach

Larry Donnell Drew is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Malone (basketball)</span> American professional basketball coach (born 1971)

Michael Malone is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had also been the head coach of the Sacramento Kings in 2013–2014. Malone previously served as an assistant coach of the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, and Golden State Warriors.

The 2014–15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA draft took place on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The regular season began on October 28, 2014, when the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs hosted the first game against the Dallas Mavericks at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 15, 2015, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with the West defeating the East 163–158. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. The regular season ended on April 15, 2015 and the playoffs began on April 18, 2015 and ended with the 2015 NBA Finals on June 16, 2015, after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win their fourth NBA title and first since 1975. The Charlotte Bobcats played their first official game as the Charlotte Hornets since 2002.

The 2015–16 NBA season was the 70th season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 27, 2015, at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls, with their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 14, 2016. The regular season ended on April 13, 2016. Golden State's Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in league history. The playoffs started on April 16, 2016, and ended with the 2016 NBA Finals on June 19, 2016, with the Cleveland Cavaliers becoming NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Golden State Warriors in seven games and ending the city's 52-year sports drought. This would also be the final season for All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

The 2016–17 NBA season was the 71st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 25, 2016, with the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers hosting a game against the New York Knicks. The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 19, 2017, with the West defeating the East 192–182. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans was named the All Star Game MVP after breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record by scoring 52 points in the All Star Game. The original host of the game, Charlotte's Spectrum Center, was removed as the host on July 21, 2016, due to the league's opposition against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. The regular season ended on April 12, 2017, and the playoffs began on April 15, 2017, and ended on June 12, 2017, with the Golden State Warriors going 16–1 in the playoffs and beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games during their third consecutive matchup in the NBA Finals. This was the last season for the NBA to use Adidas jerseys. Starting with the 2017-18 NBA season, the jerseys were from Nike. Additionally, Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors, and Dwyane Wade with the Chicago Bulls, after playing their entire careers until then with one team.

The 2019–20 NBA season was the 74th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 22, 2019, and originally was supposed to end on April 15, 2020. The 2020 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 16, at the United Center in Chicago, and was won by Team LeBron, 157–155. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin on April 18, and end with the NBA Finals in June.

The 2019–20 Sacramento Kings season was the 75th season of the franchise, its 71st season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 35th in Sacramento.

The 2022–23 Sacramento Kings season was the 78th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and 39th season in the city of Sacramento. On April 11, 2022, the Sacramento Kings relieved interim head coach Alvin Gentry of his duties. Gentry was named interim head coach after the team fired Luke Walton in November 2021. On May 9, 2022, the Sacramento Kings hired Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown to become the Kings' new head coach. After the Seattle Mariners of MLB qualified for the Playoffs for the first time since 2001, the Kings entered this season with the longest active postseason drought in the four major North American sports with their last playoff appearance in 2006. Despite starting 0–4, they improved on their 30–52 record from last year by winning their 31st game on February 8, and won their first Pacific Division title since 2003, after putting an end to an NBA-record 16 season-long playoff drought. The longest active playoff drought in the four major North American Sports now belongs to the Buffalo Sabres of NHL and the New York Jets of NFL with each team missing the playoffs 12 years straight. Meanwhile the Charlotte Hornets now owned the longest playoffs drought in NBA with their last apperince in 2016, followed by the Detroit Pistons in 2nd for NBA playoffs drought with their last playoffs appearance in 2019, then tied for 3rd for playoffs drought in NBA, the Orlando Magic, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs with each team last making the playoffs in 2020 at the NBA Bubble.

References

  1. Tomasson, Chris (June 15, 2010). "Bill Walton "I'm Back In The Game Of Life"". NBA.FanHouse.com. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  2. Wolfson, Maxx (March 7, 2013). "From playing partners to parenthood". Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  3. Stevenson, Samantha (December 26, 1996). "A Light Shines on Walton Mountain". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018.
  4. "Pac-12 Conference 2011–12 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. 2011. p. 121. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  5. Plaschke, Bill (April 29, 2016). "Lakers go back to a sweet spot with hiring of Luke Walton". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
  6. "RadioShack Shooting Stars". NBA.com . Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  7. "Lakers, Walton agree to six-year, $30 million deal". ESPN.com. July 1, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  8. "Cavaliers Acquire 2012 First Round Pick, Kapono, Walton and Right To Swap 2013 First Round Picks From Lakers". NBA.com . March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  9. "Pastner Recommends Luke Walton For Tigers Hoops Assistant Coach Position". Gotigersgo.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  10. "Luke Walton hired as player development coach in D-League :InsideHoops". Insidehoops.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  11. "Warriors Announce Steve Kerr's Coaching Staff". Golden State Warriors. July 3, 2014.
  12. Pincus, Eric (October 1, 2015). "Former Laker Luke Walton named Warriors' interim head coach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  13. "Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr to Take a Leave of Absence to Focus on Back Rehab". NBA.com. October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  14. Kroichick, Ron (November 3, 2015). "Stephen Curry, Warriors beat Grizzlies by 50 — yes, 50". Sfgate. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  15. Kroichick, Ron (November 5, 2015). "Warriors survive 1st tough test, beat Clippers 112-108". SFGate.
  16. Simmons, Rusty (November 24, 2015). "Warriors dominate in historic 16th straight win". SFGate.
  17. "Cavs' Blatt, Warriors' Walton named Coaches of Month" (Press release). NBA. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  18. Kroichick, Ron (November 4, 2015). "Walton's early success boosts Kerr's career record". SFGate.
  19. "NBA reportedly considers crediting Luke Walton with Warriors' wins". Sporting News . Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  20. "Luke Walton named NBA Coach of the Month despite being 'winless'". ESPN . December 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  21. Spears, Marc J. (January 22, 2016). "Steve Kerr set to return to coach Warriors". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016.
  22. Steward, Carl (April 26, 2016). "Warriors' Steve Kerr is NBA's Coach of the Year". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016.
  23. "Lakers Announce Agreement With Luke Walton to Become New Head Coach". NBA.com. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  24. "Los Angeles Lakers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  25. 1 2 3 McMenamin, Dave; Youngmisuk, Ohm (April 12, 2019). "Luke Walton couldn't outcoach the Lakers' dysfunction". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Youngmisuk, Ohm (April 12, 2019). "Sources: Lakers coach search eyes Lue, Williams". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  27. "Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton Mutually Agree to Part Ways". NBA.com. April 12, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  28. "Kings Announce Luke Walton as Head Coach". NBA.com. April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  29. Anderson, Jason (April 18, 2019). "Tales of Vlade Divac's Kings and Luke Walton's Lakers spotlight importance of trust". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  30. Anderson, Jason (November 20, 2019). "Kings coach Luke Walton faces decisions with Marvin Bagley III almost ready to return". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  31. Golliver, Ben (August 14, 2020). "Vlade Divac steps down as Kings GM as 14-year playoff drought continues". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  32. Johnson, Dalton (November 22, 2021). "Kings fire Walton in third season as coach after slow start". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  33. 1 2 Wojnarowski, Adrian (November 21, 2021). "Sacramento Kings fire Luke Walton, name Alvin Gentry interim coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  34. "Luke Walton Relieved as Kings Head Coach". NBA.com. November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  35. "Cavaliers Hire Luke Walton as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  36. Pincus, Eric (October 3, 2013). "Byron Scott and Luke Walton join TWC SportsNet broadcast team". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014.
  37. Winton, Richard (December 19, 2008). "Luke Walton's stalker pleads no contest, sentenced to probation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  38. Siler, Ross (April 15, 2010). "Jazz: Matthews 'born a champion'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  39. Norris, Luke (June 17, 2022). How Many Father-Son Combos Have Won NBA Championships? . Retrieved August 15, 2022.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  40. "Byron Scott and Luke Walton Join Time Warner Cable SportsNet" (Press release). Los Angeles Lakers. October 3, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  41. Bell, Diane (August 16, 2013). "NBA's Luke Walton to marry Saturday in Aspen, Colo". UT San Diego. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  42. 1 2 Darden, Hannah (April 22, 2019). "Kings coach Luke Walton is married. He's also been the victim of stalking". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  43. "Kings, NBA begin sex-assault inquiry into coach Walton". NBA.com. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  44. 1 2 3 McCann, Michael (April 29, 2019). "Analyzing Kelli Tennant's Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Kings Coach Luke Walton". SI.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  45. 1 2 3 Tanguli, Tania (April 22, 2019). "Luke Walton accused of sexual assault by former SportsNet host Kelli Tennant". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  46. 1 2 3 McGough, Michael; Anderson, Jason; Bizjak, Tony (December 5, 2019). "Sexual assault lawsuit against Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton dropped". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  47. "Court Brief: Sacramento Kings Coach Luke Walton Says Sex Assault Claim Lacks Facts". Sacramento.CBSLocal.com. July 8, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2020. In the filing, Walton said he did not write a forward for Tennant's book and does not consider himself a mentor to her.
  48. Sabalow, Ryan; Kasler, Dale; Bizjak, Tony (August 23, 2019). "In the #MeToo era, Luke Walton's accuser refused to talk to the Kings. Here's why". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  49. "NBA, Kings close Walton sexual assault case". ESPN.com. August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  50. Draper, Kevin (August 23, 2019). "N.B.A. Closes Luke Walton Sexual Assault Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  51. Moskovitz, Diane (August 23, 2019). "The NBA Tries To Make Its Luke Walton Problem Go Away". Deadspin. Retrieved December 5, 2019.