Tyronn Lue

He was selected 23rd overall by the Denver Nuggets but was traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Lakers with Tony Battie in exchange for Nick Van Exel.

His first three years with the Lakers were disappointing.

Tyronn Jamar Lue (born May 3, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Lue formerly served as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them win their first NBA title in franchise history.

Lue was a key member of the 1995–96 team that won the 1996 National Invitation Tournament, defeating Saint Joseph's University in the finals.

He finished his Cornhuskers career ranked third all-time in assists (432), fourth in three-pointers made (145) and attempted (407), fifth in steals (154) and seventh in scoring (1,577).

Lue led Nebraska in assists in each of his three seasons and finished his career tied with Dave Hoppen for most games with 30 or more points (7).

He declared for the NBA draft after his junior season.

A former point guard, Lue played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers before being selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft with the 23rd overall pick.

He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers shortly thereafter.

As a member of the Lakers, Lue won two NBA championships in his first three seasons.

Lue opted for early entry into the 1998 NBA draft.

His playing time was limited and he suffered from injuries in 2000.

Lue excelled in the 2001 playoffs.

Due to his quickness, he was specifically used to guard Allen Iverson during Game 1 of the Finals.

In a memorable moment in Game 1, Iverson executed a crossover and made a shot in front of Lue, then stepped over him.

Although the 76ers won Game 1, the Lakers won the next four and the NBA championship, with Lue appearing in each NBA Finals game.

In the off-season of 2001, Lue signed with the Washington Wizards, where he got considerably more playing time and subsequently became a better point guard.

Lue played with the Orlando Magic in 2003–04 and had a lot of minutes alongside Tracy McGrady, but the team had the worst record in the NBA that season: 21–61.

After the season concluded, Lue, McGrady, Juwan Howard, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato.

In Houston, Lue saw a notable decrease in playing time due to the overabundance of point guards on the Rockets' roster.

Lue was traded mid-season to the Atlanta Hawks for Jon Barry.

Lue starred in Atlanta, although again his team had the worst record in the NBA and their worst record in franchise history: 13–69.

On August 30, 2005, Lue re-signed with the Hawks.

On February 16, 2008, Lue was acquired by the Sacramento Kings in a trade that sent Mike Bibby to the Hawks.

He was waived by the Kings on February 28, 2008, without playing a game for them.

After clearing waivers, Lue signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks on March 4.

On July 17, 2008, Lue was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks.

After his playing career ended in 2009, Lue became Director of Basketball Development for the Boston Celtics.

On February 5, 2009, Lue was traded back to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Keith Bogans and cash considerations.

In Lue's final year as an NBA player, the Dwight Howard-led Magic advanced to the 2009 Finals but lost to Lue's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

On October 23, 2009, the Boston Celtics named Lue director of basketball development.

In 2014, he was hired by the Cavaliers as associate head coach.

Lue was promoted to head coach during the 2015–16 season, replacing the fired David Blatt.

That same season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship and became one of the few rookie coaches in the NBA to ever lead his team to a title.

Lue coached the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons; in both seasons, the Cavaliers were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Lue was fired by Cleveland in October 2018.

Lue went on to be the head coach of the Clippers and led them to their first Conference finals appearance in franchise history.

Lue graduated from Raytown Senior High School in Raytown, Missouri.

He later attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he played basketball and studied sociology.