Juwan Howard apparently turned town the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard recently declined a push from the Lakers for him to replace Frank Vogel and become the franchise’s next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Instead, Howard will stay at Michigan — where he both went to school and will coach both of his sons next year.
The Lakers never made a formal offer to Howard, per Wojnarowski, but “it’s clear that if he had expressed an interest in the job, his candidacy would’ve moved quickly to that stage.”
Howard has long been linked to multiple NBA jobs after his nearly two-decade playing career ended. He interviewed for an assistant job with the Miami Heat in 2019, and was reportedly a favorite for Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens during their coaching search last year.
Howard will enter his fourth season at Michigan this fall. He’s compiled a 93-61 record over three seasons there and won a Big Ten regular season championship before making the Elite Eight in the 2021 NCAA tournament and winning the national Coach of the Year award. The Wolverines fell in the Sweet 16 earlier this year after entering the tournament as a No. 11 seed.
Howard’s sons, Jace and Jett, will both play for him this fall. Jace will be a junior, and Jett will be a freshman.
Without Howard, the Lakers have reportedly narrowed their coaching search down to three finalists. The team is expected to conduct final interviews with Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Golden State Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts soon, though there is no timeline for a decision.
The Lakers reportedly made a push to hire Juwan Howard this offseason, though he turned them down. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
