LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers’ magic was in the air again, and it was electric.
For more than six hours Thursday, three men who love the Lakers huddled, bonded and believed that this historically glorious franchise could be restored to its most brilliantly gold sheen if an idealistic, imaginative and charismatic young man took over as its head coach.
Luke Walton wowed Lakers head of basketball operations Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak in that interview—making clear not just how much he wanted the job, but how much he has learned about the craft of teaching team basketball since he last played for the Lakers in 2012.