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Byron Scott (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Byron Antom Scott is a retired American
National Basketball Association
player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers
. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets
and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University
, but left school in his junior year to sign with the then San Diego Clippers. He was an important component of the Los Angeles Lakers
championship teams of the mid-to-late 1980s. 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
.
with the 4th pick of the 1983 NBA Draft
, he 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
, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
. 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, he 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. 1987-88 was his best season, leading the NBA champions Lakers in scoring, averaging a career-best 21.7 ppg, and in steals (1.91 spg). Although he was an excellent player and an integral part of one of the greatest teams in NBA history, Byron Scott was never selected to play in the NBA All-Star game. 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 led by Kobe Bryant
and Shaquille O'Neal
.
In the summer of 1996 Scott signed with the Greek League
team Panathinaikos for the 1997-1998 season. Byron Scott led his team to the Greek Championship by scoring in many crucial games. After one year with the Greek champions, Scott retired from professional basketball.
. 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.
team. His team performed poorly in his first year, but he was able to build a nucleus for a winning franchise. The next season, Scott led New Jersey to a franchise record 52 wins, their first Atlantic division crown, and an appearance in the 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 and 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.
While coaching the Nets, Scott lived in Livingston, New Jersey
.
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
. The Hornets clinched the Southwest Division title in their win over the Los Angeles Clippers
. Byron Scott was named the head coach of the 2008 Western Conference All-Star team, and a few months after, he was awarded the 2007–2008 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 Greg Popovich.
In the 2008-09, 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 21 and 29-point blowouts, as well as a 58-point loss in game 4, which tied the worst margin of defeat in NBA postseason history.(see:2009 NBA playoffs article for more information)
Scott was relieved
from his head coaching duties for the Hornets on November 12, 2009, following a 3-6 start. He had been mentioned as a candidate for several NBA coaching jobs, including the Chicago Bulls, due to his success coaching another young star point guard Chris Paul
.
Following his dismissal, he briefly served as a studio analyst for the NBA on ESPN.
.
Scott and his wife, Anita, have three children, Thomas, LonDen and DaRon.
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|82||26||56||.317|| align="center" |6th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|82||52||30||.634|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||20||11||9||.550
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||20||14||6||.700
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|42||22||20||.524|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||18||64||.220|| align="center" |5th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||38||44||.463|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||39||43||.476|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Southwest||12||7||5||.583
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|9||3||6||.333|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |CLE
| align="left" |
|82||19||63||.232|| align="center" |5th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||789||371||418||.470|| ||57||33||24||.579
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, but left school in his junior year to sign with the then San Diego Clippers. He was an important component of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
championship teams of the mid-to-late 1980s. Scott grew up in Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and played at Morningside High School
Morningside High School
Morningside High is a public high school in Inglewood, California.-History:In 1951, the first two classes of students came to the Morningside Park area of Inglewood to attend the new Morningside High School. Incoming 9th graders came from the surrounding junior high schools, and a class of 10th...
, in the shadow of what was then the Lakers' home arena, The Forum
The Forum (Inglewood, California)
The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison...
.
NBA
Selected by the San Diego ClippersLos Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
with the 4th pick of the 1983 NBA Draft
1983 NBA Draft
The 1983 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1983 in New York City. A total of 226 players were selected over 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams. At least three players from the 1983 draft now serve as coaches...
, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 1983 in exchange for Norm Nixon
Norm Nixon
Norman Ellard "Norm" Nixon is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, who spent twelve seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers.-Early life:...
. During his playing career, Scott suited up for the Lakers, Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and Vancouver Grizzlies
Vancouver Grizzlies
The Vancouver Grizzlies were a professional basketball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA's...
. Scott was a key player for the Lakers during the Showtime era, being a starter alongside Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, James Worthy
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...
, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
. 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, he 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. 1987-88 was his best season, leading the NBA champions Lakers in scoring, averaging a career-best 21.7 ppg, and in steals (1.91 spg). Although he was an excellent player and an integral part of one of the greatest teams in NBA history, Byron Scott was never selected to play in the NBA All-Star game. 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 led by Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
and Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
.
Panathinaikos
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
team Panathinaikos for the 1997-1998 season. Byron Scott led his team to the Greek Championship by scoring in many crucial games. After one year with the Greek champions, Scott retired from professional basketball.
Coaching career
Byron Scott began his NBA coaching career in 1998, when he began the first of two seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento KingsSacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. 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
In 2000, Scott took over a struggling New Jersey NetsNew Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
team. His team performed poorly in his first year, but he was able to build a nucleus for a winning franchise. The next season, Scott led New Jersey to a franchise record 52 wins, their first Atlantic division crown, and an appearance in the NBA Finals
2002 NBA Finals
The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and two-time defending NBA champions, and the New Jersey Nets, champions of the...
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
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
, 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 and 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.
While coaching the Nets, Scott lived in Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
.
New Orleans
Scott became the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. 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 CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
's devastation of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
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
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
. The Hornets clinched the Southwest Division title in their win over the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. Byron Scott was named the head coach of the 2008 Western Conference All-Star team, and a few months after, he was awarded the 2007–2008 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
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, 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 Greg Popovich.
In the 2008-09, the Hornets finished 49-33 and entered the playoffs as a seventh seed. They faced the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
in the first round losing after five brutal games, including 21 and 29-point blowouts, as well as a 58-point loss in game 4, which tied the worst margin of defeat in NBA postseason history.(see:2009 NBA playoffs article for more information)
Scott was relieved
Firing
Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in...
from his head coaching duties for the Hornets on November 12, 2009, following a 3-6 start. He had been mentioned as a candidate for several NBA coaching jobs, including the Chicago Bulls, due to his success coaching another young star point guard Chris Paul
Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel Paul is an American professional basketball point guard for the New Orleans Hornets.Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake...
.
Following his dismissal, he briefly served as a studio analyst for the NBA on ESPN.
Cleveland Cavaliers
On July 2, 2010, Scott was named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his first season at the helm of the Cavs, he watched his team endure the longest losing streak ever in the NBA. The 26-game, record-breaking, losing streak ended on February 11, 2011 when they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime at home. The Cavaliers ended up finishing the season with a 19-63 record which was the second worst record in the NBA, only ahead of the Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
.
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 wife, Anita, have three children, Thomas, LonDen and DaRon.
Coaching record
|-| align="left" |NJ
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| align="left" |
|82||26||56||.317|| align="center" |6th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|82||52||30||.634|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||20||11||9||.550
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
2002 NBA Finals
The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and two-time defending NBA champions, and the New Jersey Nets, champions of the...
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||20||14||6||.700
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
|-
| align="left" |NJ
| align="left" |
|42||22||20||.524|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||18||64||.220|| align="center" |5th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||38||44||.463|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||39||43||.476|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Southwest||12||7||5||.583
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|-
| align="left" |NO
| align="left" |
|9||3||6||.333|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |CLE
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
| align="left" |
|82||19||63||.232|| align="center" |5th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||789||371||418||.470|| ||57||33||24||.579