Ramona Shelburne, ESPN
LOS ANGELES (ESPN.com) — Byron Scott had to wait nearly three months to learn the Los Angeles Lakers had chosen him to be their next head coach.
Then he had to wait a little bit longer for the team to officially announce him as head coach while “we work through some little details” after he and the team agreed in principle on a four-year, $17 million contract Saturday night.
But for the chance to coach the team he won three NBA titles with as a player, he says it will be worth it in the end.
“I’m a little tired tonight,” Scott told ESPN.com late Sunday night after returning from a trip to the Caribbean. “But I’m extremely excited about the job, extremely excited about the opportunity to bring the purple and gold back up to championship-caliber basketball.”
Scott said he’s been texting with Lakers star Kobe Bryant throughout the summer and conferring about this year’s team. Bryant texted Scott this weekend after news broke that he had accepted the job.
“He told me he was working out with Wesley [Johnson] and Nick [Young],” Scott said. “I told them that sounded great, but ‘they better be ready to play some defense.’ ”
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