Even though he was not linked to any coaching vacancies, Byron Scott said he will never be linked again. Scott told TMZ that he is retiring from coaching. Scott was quoted as saying that he "has had enough of it." Scott last coached the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016. Scott had stints coaching the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn), new orleans Pelicans (Hornets at the time), Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lakers.
Scott's statement
In the article by TMZ Sports, Scott said there is a zero percent chance that he will return to basketball. He mentions that he is happy with his life moving forward.
At the age of 56, Scott could return to the bench in an assistant role, but Scott shot those ideas down. In his other remarks, he said that he likes Lonzo Ball of the Lakers but that the team will not make the playoffs this year. He left the Lakers in an ugly breakup that led to Luke Walton taking over.
Scott's coaching career
Before becoming a head coach, Scott spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings. He spent the first four years coaching the Nets. He led the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. Those days featured Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson leading the team. Scott was fired the season after the Nets lost in the finals. Scott had a 22-20 record before he was let go.
His next stop was New Orleans, where he coached Chris Paul. He led the team to the playoffs in two of his six seasons. After suffering an 18-win season in his first year, the team missed the playoffs the next two seasons. In his fourth year, the team made the playoffs before losing in the conference semifinals. The next season the team lost in the first round.
In 2009-2006, Scott was fired after a 3-6 start to the season.
Scott then took over the Cavaliers in the post-LeBron James era. Scott lasted three seasons where he won just 64 games and lost 166 games. They missed the playoffs in all three years. After that, Scott took over the Lakers and lasted two seasons. Those teams won a total of 21 and 17 games, where the team finished last in the division.
After everything, Scott finished his coaching career with a 454-647 record, which was a .412 winning percentage. He finished with a 33-24 record in the postseason though. He was the NBA Coach of the Year in 2008. He coached the NBA All-Star Game in 2002 and 2008. Scott was a former player for the Lakers where he won NBA championships in 1985, 1987, and 1989.
