Who is Tony Bennett? Lakers add ex-Virginia coach as draft adviser

The Los Angeles Lakers have added Tony Bennett, a former Virginia coach and a two-time national coach of the year, as NBA draft adviser to the president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka.

This comes after several front office changes since Mark Walter bought the majority ownership of the Lakers. The 17-time NBA Champions also let go of longtime front office executives Joey and Jesse Buss in November. The addition of Bennett is one of those significant changes after Walter’s takeover.

Bennett, in a statement, stated that when he and Pelinka “began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization.” The former coach also said that he is excited to be part of the franchise and assist Rob.

All about Tony Bennett, new Lakers draft adviser

Bennett was the Virginia Cavaliers’ coach from 2009 24 and compiled a 364-136 record. He also guided the Cavaliers to the 2019 national championship. The 56-year-old is a former professional basketball player. The former college basketball coach is a three-time recipient of the Henry Iba Award and the AP Coach of the Year.

Bennet is one of the only three coaches to lead his program to 10 or more consecutive winning ACC records. Additionally, he is also one of the three head coaches to win the ACC Coach of the Year four or more times.

Bennet played as a point guard during his playing career. He played under his father, Dick Bennett, at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1992 NBA Draft. He then began his coaching career with New Zealand’s North Harbour Vikings in 1998. The following year, he took over as Wisconsin’s assistant.