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Tyronn Lue is ready to follow in Doc Rivers’ footsteps. That has nothing to do with coaching the Los Angeles Clippers.
You want to be a voice for change.
Rivers has been one of Lue’s most trusted mentors for years, and his teaching point in these times has been clear. Rivers is not going to be a coach forever. Neither is Gregg Popovich, another of the league’s strongest coaching voices. Someone will eventually have to play their roles as two of the main speakers in the NBA, as champions of change, and Rivers wants Lue to become that someone.
“He needs me to be the next voice for black coaches coming into the NBA,” Lue said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Doc is great. Every time there is a crisis or something gets bad for our country, he is always a spokesman for the NBA. Him and Pop.… And Doc said to me, ‘Ty, you have to be next. You have to be the one to step up, protect black coaches and speak up for black coaches. ‘
Lue’s primary mission as the Clippers coach, as Rivers’ replacement, is clear. He is tasked with being the coach who ultimately leads the franchise to the Western Conference finals and beyond, finding a way to lead a team that has spent most of its existence as a spike and make it champions.
That should be overwhelming enough.
But these days, as one of six black coaches in the NBA, a league in which most players are black and most coaches are white, Lue knows more is needed. That’s why the NBA spent three months at Walt Disney World, to stand on a platform that would amplify the voices calling for an end to racial inequality and police brutality in this country. Rivers, as the Clippers coach during his time in the bubble, was moved to tears when he spoke of the problems that plague this nation. Lue, like most assistant coaches, didn’t have much of a media footprint; the assistants are seen and rarely heard.
In this role, he promises, that will change.
“That is why I am going to fight to be in this position,” Lue said. “Or just have more black head coaches and more assistant coaches and guys get a chance and a chance to show their greatness. And, since 80% of the league is Black and African American, black coaches can relate to these guys. Help these kids who come from single parent homes and who grow up in the situations in which they grew up. Being able to talk and relate to these guys is very important. “
The Clippers’ signing of Lue – made last week, finalized on Tuesday, and formally unveiled on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) – is another step in the right direction for the NBA. The league was down to four black coaches at one point this offseason; Rivers’ signing in Philadelphia and Lue’s signing with the Clippers has a total of six.
When the playoffs began this season, there were eight. A few years ago, black coaches had a record 14 spots in the NBA. Indiana replaced a black coach at Nate McMillan with first-time coach Nate Bjorkgren, who is white. New Orleans is replacing a black coach at Alvin Gentry with veteran coach Stan Van Gundy, who is white. There are currently two vacant positions: Houston and Oklahoma City.
“You know, we’ve looked at what could be an equivalent to a Rooney-type rule in the NBA, and I’m not sure it makes sense,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during the NBA Finals, referencing the rule. Rooney where NFL teams must interview minority candidates when head office coach, general manager, and senior positions open. “I am open-minded if there are other ways to approach it. There is a certain natural ebb and flow to the hiring and firing, frankly, of coaches, but the number is too low at the moment. “
For his part, Lue is also not a fan of a Rooney-type rule in the NBA. He simply wants the best coaches to have the positions.
“If the black coach is no better, then he shouldn’t get the job, and vice versa,” Lue said. “So that’s how I feel about it. I know there are a lot of great coaches, black coaches, who have proven themselves and been good, but they just haven’t had a second chance or another chance to show themselves. “
He is no longer one of those who did not get a second chance. He won an NBA title when he took over at Cleveland in 2016, although part of the deal when a coach wins a title with LeBron James is that the coach never gets all the credit he deserves for that championship. James left Cleveland in 2018, the Cavs team that followed Lue started 0-6 and was immediately fired.
And now he inherits a team that has championship aspirations, a two-time NBA Finals MVP in Kawhi Leonard and an owner in Steve Ballmer who will spend whatever it takes to win.
Lue said he’s up for the challenge, for all parts of the challenge.
“Without Doc, I wouldn’t be in this position,” Lue said. “With that being said, Doc has laid an incredible foundation here with the Clippers, and now it’s up to me to improve that.
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