| Position | Shooting guard |
|---|---|
| League | NBA |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | March 28 1961  Ogden, Utah |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Draft | 4th overall, 1983 San Diego Clippers |
| Pro career | 1983–1998 |
| Former teams | Los Angeles Lakers (1983–93) Indiana Pacers (1993–95) Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–96) Los Angeles Lakers (1996–97) Panathinaikos (1997–98) |
Byron Anton Scott (born March 28 1961 in Ogden, Utah) is a former National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University. He was well-known as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. 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.
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Professional basketball career
NBA
Selected by the San Diego Clippers 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 won 3 NBA championships (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 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, he went back to the Lakers and proved to be a valuable mentor for a team led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. During his playing days he was known to be one of the best shooters and dunkers in the NBA.
Europe
In the summer of 1997 signed with the Greek team Panathinaikos. During his first (and only) season in Greece, Scott played very well, leading PAO in the first place in the regular season. Despite his age (36 years old), Scott took it very seriously and professionally and surprised those who said he'd have no motivation after a great NBA career and three championship rings. He played 23 games in the regular season (missing three due to injury) and averaged 18.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 80% from the free-throw line, 48% from the field, and 40% from three-point range. Panathinaikos advanced to the play-off finals where they played against PAOK Thessaloniki. Scott was named Finals MVP as Panathinaikos won the series 3-2, claiming their first championship in 14 years. In the 5th game (68-58), Scott had 23 points and played amazing defense on Peja Stojakovic, holding him to only 14 points (3/13 fgs).
Coaching
Byron Scott began his NBA coaching career in 1998, when he began the first of two season as an assistant with the Scaramento Kings. He specialized in teaching perimeter shooting during his tenure with the Kings and helped to lead Sacamento to an excellent three point shooting percentage during a pair of playoff seasons. In 2000, Scott took over a struggling New Jersey Nets 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 apparence in the NBA Finals. After a loss to the LA Lakers in the championship series, Scott guided his team to another successful year during the 2002-03 campaign. For the second year in a row, his Nets reached the NBA Finals, but lost. During the 2003-04 season, New Jersey performed poorly early in the season, and Scott was fired. Scott has been the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets since 2005. He has guided the team to a pair of competitive, but sub .500 seasons since taking over. However, he has been placed in a tough situation, coaching a team that played most of its home games in Oklahoma City because of the impact of Hurricane Katrina. The Hornets and Scott returnd to New Orleans full time in 2007.
Coaching Record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Finish | Result | ||
| NJ | 2000-01 | 82 | 26 | 56 | 6th in Atlantic | Missed Playoffs |
| NJ | 2001-02 | 82 | 52 | 30 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in NBA Finals |
| NJ | 2002-03 | 82 | 49 | 33 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in NBA Finals |
| NJ | 2003-04 | 82 | 22 | 20 | 1st in Atlantic | (fired) |
| NO | 2005-06 | 82 | 38 | 44 | 4th in Southwest | Missed Playoffs |
| NO | 2006-07 | 82 | 39 | 43 | 4th in Southwest | Missed Playoffs |
External links
| Preceded by Don Casey |
New Jersey Nets Head Coach 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by Lawrence Frank |
| Preceded by Tim Floyd |
New Orleans Hornets Head Coach 2004–present |
Succeeded by Current |
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1 Matthews | 4 Scott | 21 Cooper | 24 Branch | 31 Rambis | 32 Johnson (Finals MVP) | 33 Abdul-Jabbar | 42 Worthy | 43 M. Thompson | 45 Green | 52 Smrek | 55 B. Thompson | Coach Riley |
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| Zaslofsky • Larese • Carnesecca • Loughery • MacKinnon • Brown • Blair • Albeck • Wohl • MacKinnon • Reed • Fitch • Daly • Beard • Calipari • Casey • Scott • Frank |
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| Harter • Littles • Bristow • Cowens • Silas • Floyd • Scott |
