Byron Scott

Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball head coach and player. He last coached the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s.

Byron Scott
Scott coaching the Cavaliers in 2012
Personal information
Born (1961-03-28) March 28, 1961
Ogden, Utah
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)[1]
Career information
High schoolMorningside (Inglewood, California)
CollegeArizona State (19791983)
NBA draft1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the San Diego Clippers
Playing career1983–1998
PositionShooting guard
Number4, 11
Coaching career1998–2016
Career history
As player:
19831993Los Angeles Lakers
19931995Indiana Pacers
1995–1996Vancouver Grizzlies
1996–1997Los Angeles Lakers
1997–1998Panathinaikos
As coach:
19982000Sacramento Kings (assistant)
20002004New Jersey Nets
20042009New Orleans Hornets
20102013Cleveland Cavaliers
20142016Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points15,097 (14.1 ppg)
Rebounds2,987 (2.8 rpg)
Assists2,729 (2.5 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life & college career

Scott grew up in Inglewood, California, 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 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 Los Angeles Lakers in 1983 in exchange for Norm Nixon. During his playing career, Scott suited up for the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Vancouver Grizzlies. Scott was a key player for the Lakers during the Showtime era, being a starter alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 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. 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, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and 18-year-old rookie Kobe Bryant (Scott would be Bryant's coach on the Lakers towards the end of the latter's career).

Panathinaikos

Scott with Panathinaikos in 1998

In the summer of 1997, Scott signed with the Greek Basket League team Panathinaikos for the 1997–98 season. That season, he played with Panathinaikos in both the FIBA Saporta Cup (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.[2]

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.[3] 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, when he began the first of two seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. He specialized in teaching perimeter shooting during his tenure with the Kings and helped to lead the team to an excellent three-point shooting percentage during a pair of playoff seasons.

New Jersey Nets

In 2000, Scott took over a struggling New Jersey Nets team. His team performed poorly in his first year, but that changed in the 2001–02 season with the arrival of Jason Kidd as the Nets raced to a franchise record of 52 wins. In the process, they won their first Atlantic division crown and appeared in their first NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite losing the championship series to LA, Scott came back to coach the team through another successful season during the 2002–03 campaign, once again taking the team to the NBA Finals, but losing once again—this time to the San Antonio Spurs. New Jersey was up by double figures in game six, but the Spurs tightened up their defense, which won the game and the championship.

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 then Nets GM Rod Thorn, denied the reports. Scott claimed that he was "very surprised" by the report and that he and Kidd "always got along".[4]

He was succeeded by his assistant Lawrence Frank. While coaching the Nets, Scott lived in Livingston, New Jersey.[5]

New Orleans Hornets

Byron Scott talks to Chris Paul in a 2009 game; Scott was head coach of the New Orleans Hornets from 2004 to 2009.

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 due to Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans.

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. Scott 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, posting a 4–1 record for the series. They would go on to face the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals. An unusual trend of home court blow outs 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.

In the 2008–09 season, the Hornets finished 49–33 and entered the playoffs as a seventh seed. They faced the Denver Nuggets 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.[6][7] Scott was relieved from his head coaching duties for the Hornets on November 12, 2009, following a 3–6 start.[8] He was mentioned as a candidate for several NBA coaching jobs, including the Chicago Bulls.

Following his dismissal, he briefly served as a studio analyst for the NBA on ESPN.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Byron Scott (Left) coaching the Cavaliers in 2013

On July 1, 2010, Scott was named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a few days before the team lost star LeBron James to the Miami Heat.[9][10][11] 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,[12] including a 102–90 upset victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat,[13] which ensured that Cleveland did not have the worst record in the league at the season's end.[14]

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.[15][16] Though the Cavaliers ranked in the bottom five of the league in defensive efficiency in each of his three seasons,[17] analysts were surprised at the firing given the team's young and oft-injured rosters.[18] Irving and other Cavaliers players expressed their disappointment with the firing.[19]

Los Angeles Lakers

Scott spent the 2013–14 season as a Lakers television analyst on Time Warner Cable SportsNet.[20] After the season, he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach. Scott interviewed three times for the position, which had become vacant after Mike D'Antoni's resignation.[21] On July 28, 2014, he signed a multi-year contract to coach the Lakers.[22][23]

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, Kobe Bryant's final season before retiring. It was the fifth straight season in Scott's coaching career that his team finished last in their division. 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.[24] 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.[25][26]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games 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

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1983–84 L.A. Lakers 744922.1.484.235.8062.22.41.1.310.6
1984–85 L.A. Lakers 816528.5.539.433.8202.63.01.1.216.0
1985–86 L.A. Lakers 766228.8.513.361.7842.52.21.1.215.4
1986–87 L.A. Lakers 828233.3.489.436.8923.53.41.5.217.0
1987–88 L.A. Lakers 818137.6.527.346.8584.14.11.9.321.7
1988–89 L.A. Lakers 747335.2.491.399.8634.13.11.5.419.6
1989–90 L.A. Lakers 777733.7.470.423.7663.13.61.0.415.5
1990–91 L.A. Lakers 828232.1.477.324.7973.02.21.2.314.5
1991–92 L.A. Lakers 828232.7.458.344.8383.82.81.3.314.9
1992–93 L.A. Lakers 585328.9.449.326.8482.32.7.9.213.7
1993–94 Indiana 67217.9.467.365.8051.62.0.9.110.4
1994–95 Indiana 80119.1.455.389.8501.91.4.8.210.0
1995–96 Vancouver 80023.7.401.335.8352.41.5.8.310.2
1996–97 L.A. Lakers 79818.2.430.388.8411.51.3.6.26.7
Career 107371728.1.482.370.8332.82.51.1.314.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1984 L.A. Lakers 20020.2.460.200.6001.91.7.9.18.6
1985 L.A. Lakers 191930.8.517.476.7952.72.62.2.216.9
1986 L.A. Lakers 141433.6.497.353.9053.93.01.4.116.0
1987 L.A. Lakers 181833.8.490.206.7913.43.21.1.214.8
1988 L.A. Lakers 242437.4.499.436.8654.22.51.4.219.6
1989 L.A. Lakers 111136.5.494.385.8364.12.31.6.219.9
1990 L.A. Lakers 9936.1.462.382.7694.12.62.2.313.4
1991 L.A. Lakers 181837.7.511.526.7943.21.61.3.213.2
1992 L.A. Lakers 4437.0.500.583.8892.53.51.5.318.8
1993 L.A. Lakers 5535.4.500.533.7832.21.81.0.013.6
1994 Indiana 16014.9.396.474.7842.11.3.8.17.8
1995 Indiana 17017.5.340.265.8821.5.9.6.16.1
1997 L.A. Lakers 8016.8.455.364.8951.51.4.1.06.4
Career 18312229.3.482.395.8192.92.11.2.213.4

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
New Jersey 2000–01 822656.3176th in Atlantic Missed playoffs
New Jersey 2001–02 825230.6341st in Atlantic20119.550 Lost in NBA Finals
New Jersey 2002–03 824933.5981st in Atlantic20146.700 Lost in NBA Finals
New Jersey 2003–04 422220.524(fired)
New Orleans 2004–05 821864.2205th in Southwest Missed playoffs
New Orleans/Oklahoma City 2005–06 823844.4634th in Southwest Missed playoffs
New Orleans/Oklahoma City 2006–07 823943.4764th in Southwest Missed playoffs
New Orleans 2007–08 825626.6831st in Southwest1275.583 Lost in Conference Semifinals
New Orleans 2008–09 824933.5984th in Southwest514.200 Lost in First Round
New Orleans 2009–10 936.333(fired)
Cleveland 2010–11 821963.2325th in Central Missed playoffs
Cleveland 2011–12 662145.3185th in Central Missed playoffs
Cleveland 2012–13 822458.2935th in Central Missed playoffs
L.A. Lakers 2014–15 822161.2565th in Pacific Missed playoffs
L.A. Lakers 2015–16 821765.2075th in Pacific Missed playoffs
Career 1,101454647.412 573324.579  

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.

Scott and his ex-wife, Anita, have two children.[27] In June 2013, Scott and Anita separated and in March 2014, he filed for divorce after 29 years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences.[28] On July 11, 2020 Scott married Cece Gutierrez, a registered nurse and cast member of VH1's reality show “Basketball Wives”.

See also

References

  1. "Byron Scott". National Basketball Association. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  2. "Byron Anton Scott - EuroCup (1998) - FIBA Europe". fibaeurope.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. "Byron Scott - esake.gr". widgets.baskethotel.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  4. "Thorn said no demands were ever made". ESPN.com. July 10, 2003. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  5. Bondy, Filip (May 25, 2003). "Visitors Are Feeling Right At Home In Jersey". NYDailyNews.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2020. I've learned everything I need to know about New Jersey," said Scott, who resides in Livingston during the season. "You take 280 to the 'Pike to the arena.
  6. "Nuggets match most lopsided win in NBA playoff history to take 3-1 lead". ESPN.com. April 27, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  7. "Carmelo, Nuggets beat Hornets to make second round". ESPN.com. April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  8. Martel, Brett (November 12, 2009). "Hornets fire coach Byron Scott, GM to take over". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  9. "NBA Veteran Byron Scott Named Head Coach of Cleveland Cavaliers". Cleveland Cavaliers. July 1, 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. "Agent says Scott accepts Cavs' offer; details to be ironed out". CBSSports.com. July 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  11. Finnan, Bob (October 24, 2012). "Cleveland Cavaliers exercise option on Byron Scott's contract". The Morning Journal. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  12. "Cavaliers Acquire 2011 First Round Pick and Two-Time All-Star Baron Davis From Clippers". NBA.com. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  13. "Cavaliers withstand LeBron James' triple-double to knock off Heat". ESPN.com. March 29, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  14. Rodriguez, Carter (August 26, 2015). "Where are they now: Baron Davis". Fear The Sword. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  15. "Cavaliers fire Scott after three losing seasons". Sportsnet.ca. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  16. Weinreich, Marc (April 18, 2013). "Byron Scott fired as Cavs coach". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  17. Concepcion, Jason (November 4, 2014). "An NBA Detective Story: Who in the Lakers Organization Knows They're Tanking?". Grantland. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  18. Fedor, Chris (February 8, 2015). "Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott enjoyed his time in Cleveland, but doesn't feel he got a 'fair chance'". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  19. Schmitt Boyer, Mary (April 18, 2013). "Cleveland Cavaliers players stunned by firing of Byron Scott". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  20. McMenamin, Dave (July 25, 2014). "Byron Scott the right man for Kobe, Lakers". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  21. Broussard, Chris (July 25, 2014). "Lakers, Byron Scott talking offer". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  22. "Lakers Announce Hiring of Byron Scott as Head Coach". NBA.com. July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  23. Bresnahan, Mike (July 28, 2014). "Lakers hire Byron Scott as their new coach". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  24. "Lakers Part Ways with Head Coach Byron Scott". NBA.com. April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  25. "Byron Scott out after Lakers-worst 17-65 season". ESPN.com. April 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  26. Golliver, Ben (April 25, 2016). "Lakers fire Scott after Kobe's farewell goes awry". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  27. Robbins, Liz (October 29, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Coach Born to Be A Champion". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2020. Scott has always taken his children to school and used to take his oldest son, Thomas, on trips with the Pacers. Thomas, 17, is still in Sacramento for his senior year in high school, hoping to earn a college basketball scholarship. The Scotts' daughter, LonDen, 13, and youngest son, DaRon, 9, have settled into the family's new house in Livingston, N.J., where their father refuses to build a trophy room.
  28. "Byron Scott -- NBA Champ Files for Divorce ... After 29 Year Marriage". TMZ. March 19, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
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