Byron Scott facts for kids

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Byron Scott
Personal information
picture of Byron Scott
Born	(1961-03-28) March 28, 1961 (age 64) Ogden, Utah, U.S.
High school	Morningside (Inglewood, California)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona State (1979–1983)
NBA Draft	1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the San Diego Clippers
Pro career	1983–1998
Coaching career	1998–2016
Career history
As player:
1983–1993	Los Angeles Lakers
1993–1995	Indiana Pacers
1995–1996	Vancouver Grizzlies
1996–1997	Los Angeles Lakers
1997–1998	Panathinaikos
As coach:
1998–2000	Sacramento Kings (assistant)
2000–2004	New Jersey Nets
2004–2009	New Orleans Hornets
2010–2013	Cleveland Cavaliers
2014–2016	Los Angeles Lakers

Career highlights and awards
As player 3× NBA champion (1985, 1987, 1988) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1984) FIBA EuroStar (1997) Greek Basket League champion (1998) Greek League All-Star (1997) First-team All-Pac-10 (1983) Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1980) No. 11 jersey retired by Arizona State Sun Devils Fourth-team Parade All-American (1979) McDonald's All-American (1979) As coach NBA Coach of the Year (2008) 2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (2002, 2008)

Career NBA statistics
Points	15,097 (14.1 ppg)
Rebounds	2,987 (2.8 rpg)
Assists	2,729 (2.5 apg)

Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for winning three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their famous "Showtime" era in the 1980s. Later in his career, he became a successful coach and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2008.

Early Life and College Career
Playing in the NBA
Coaching Career
Inspiring Others
NBA career statistics
- NBA
  - Regular season
  - Playoffs
Head coaching record
See also
Images for kids

Early Life and College Career

Byron Scott grew up in Inglewood, California, very close to The Forum, where the Lakers used to play. He was a star player at Morningside High School.

For college, Scott played basketball at Arizona State University for three years. He was very successful, earning the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award in 1980. In 1983, he was named to the All-Pac-10 first team, which recognizes the best players in the conference. He was so good that he decided to enter the 1983 NBA draft after his junior year. In 2011, Arizona State retired his No. 11 jersey to honor his amazing college career.

Playing in the NBA

The "Showtime" Lakers

In the 1983 NBA draft, Scott was picked fourth overall by the San Diego Clippers. However, he was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. This trade turned out to be a great move for both Scott and the Lakers.

Scott became a key player for the Lakers during their "Showtime" era, known for its fast-paced and exciting style of play. He was a starting shooting guard alongside legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. With this incredible team, Scott won three NBA championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988.

In his first year, he made the NBA All-Rookie Team. He was also an excellent three-point shooter, leading the entire league in three-point percentage during the 1984–85 season. His best season was in 1987–88, when he led the champion Lakers in scoring with an average of 21.7 points per game.

Other Teams and Return to the Lakers

After ten successful seasons, Scott left the Lakers in 1993 and played for the Indiana Pacers and the Vancouver Grizzlies. With the Pacers, he hit a memorable game-winning three-point shot in a playoff game against the Orlando Magic.

Scott after the Lakers won the 1988 NBA Finals.

In 1996, Scott returned to the Lakers for his final NBA season. This time, he was an experienced veteran on a team with young stars like Shaquille O'Neal and an 18-year-old rookie named Kobe Bryant. Scott became an important mentor for Kobe, teaching him about playing in the NBA.

Playing in Greece

After his final NBA season, Scott wasn't done with basketball just yet. In 1997, he moved to Europe to play for Panathinaikos, a top team in the Greek Basket League. He helped them win the Greek League championship. After one successful season in Greece, Scott retired as a player and decided to become a coach.

Coaching Career

New Jersey Nets

Scott began his head coaching career with the New Jersey Nets in 2000. The team had been struggling, but things changed when they traded for star point guard Jason Kidd.

With Kidd leading the team, Scott coached the Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and again in the 2003. It was the first time the team had ever reached the championship series. Although they lost both times, Scott had turned the Nets into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans Hornets

Scott coaching Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in 2009.

In 2004, Scott became the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets. He coached another amazing point guard, Chris Paul, who won the Rookie of the Year award.

The 2007–08 season was a huge success. The Hornets won their division with a 56–26 record, and Scott was named the NBA Coach of the Year. The team made it to the second round of the playoffs, where they played a tough series against the champion San Antonio Spurs.

Cleveland and Los Angeles

Scott coaching Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers in 2013.

Scott later coached the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2010 to 2013. During his time there, he coached another future star, Kyrie Irving, who also won the Rookie of the Year award. This made Irving the second point guard coached by Scott to win the award.

In 2014, Scott's career came full circle when he was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached the team for two seasons, which included Kobe Bryant's final season in the NBA. This meant Scott was there for the beginning and the end of the legendary career of the player he had mentored years earlier.

Inspiring Others

Scott's non-profit group, The Byron Scott Children's Fund, has raised millions of dollars for children's charities.

Showing that it's never too late to learn, Scott returned to Arizona State 37 years after he left for the NBA. He earned his bachelor's degree, keeping a promise he had made to his mother.

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1983–84	L.A. Lakers	74	49	22.1	.484	.235	.806	2.2	2.4	1.1	.3	10.6
1984–85†	L.A. Lakers	81	65	28.5	.539	.433*	.820	2.6	3.0	1.1	.2	16.0
1985–86	L.A. Lakers	76	62	28.8	.513	.361	.784	2.5	2.2	1.1	.2	15.4
1986–87†	L.A. Lakers	82	82	33.3	.489	.436	.892	3.5	3.4	1.5	.2	17.0
1987–88†	L.A. Lakers	81	81	37.6	.527	.346	.858	4.1	4.1	1.9	.3	21.7
1988–89	L.A. Lakers	74	73	35.2	.491	.399	.863	4.1	3.1	1.5	.4	19.6
1989–90	L.A. Lakers	77	77	33.7	.470	.423	.766	3.1	3.6	1.0	.4	15.5
1990–91	L.A. Lakers	82	82	32.1	.477	.324	.797	3.0	2.2	1.2	.3	14.5
1991–92	L.A. Lakers	82	82	32.7	.458	.344	.838	3.8	2.8	1.3	.3	14.9
1992–93	L.A. Lakers	58	53	28.9	.449	.326	.848	2.3	2.7	.9	.2	13.7
1993–94	Indiana	67	2	17.9	.467	.365	.805	1.6	2.0	.9	.1	10.4
1994–95	Indiana	80	1	19.1	.455	.389	.850	1.9	1.4	.8	.2	10.0
1995–96	Vancouver	80	0	23.7	.401	.335	.835	2.4	1.5	.8	.3	10.2
1996–97	L.A. Lakers	79	8	18.2	.430	.388	.841	1.5	1.3	.6	.2	6.7
Career		1073	717	28.1	.482	.370	.833	2.8	2.5	1.1	.3	14.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1984	L.A. Lakers	20	0	20.2	.460	.200	.600	1.9	1.7	.9	.1	8.6
1985†	L.A. Lakers	19	19	30.8	.517	.476	.795	2.7	2.6	2.2	.2	16.9
1986	L.A. Lakers	14	14	33.6	.497	.353	.905	3.9	3.0	1.4	.1	16.0
1987†	L.A. Lakers	18	18	33.8	.490	.206	.791	3.4	3.2	1.1	.2	14.8
1988†	L.A. Lakers	24	24	37.4	.499	.436	.865	4.2	2.5	1.4	.2	19.6
1989	L.A. Lakers	11	11	36.5	.494	.385	.836	4.1	2.3	1.6	.2	19.9
1990	L.A. Lakers	9	9	36.1	.462	.382	.769	4.1	2.6	2.2	.3	13.4
1991	L.A. Lakers	18	18	37.7	.511	.526	.794	3.2	1.6	1.3	.2	13.2
1992	L.A. Lakers	4	4	37.0	.500	.583	.889	2.5	3.5	1.5	.3	18.8
1993	L.A. Lakers	5	5	35.4	.500	.533	.783	2.2	1.8	1.0	.0	13.6
1994	Indiana	16	0	14.9	.396	.474	.784	2.1	1.3	.8	.1	7.8
1995	Indiana	17	0	17.5	.340	.265	.882	1.5	.9	.6	.1	6.1
1997	L.A. Lakers	8	0	16.8	.455	.364	.895	1.5	1.4	.1	.0	6.4
Career		183	122	29.3	.482	.395	.819	2.9	2.1	1.2	.2	13.4

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
New Jersey	2000–01	82	26	56	.317	6th in Atlantic	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
New Jersey	2001–02	82	52	30	.634	1st in Atlantic	20	11	9	.550	Lost in NBA Finals
New Jersey	2002–03	82	49	33	.598	1st in Atlantic	20	14	6	.700	Lost in NBA Finals
New Jersey	2003–04	42	22	20	.524	(fired)	—	—	—	—	—
New Orleans	2004–05	82	18	64	.220	5th in Southwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
New Orleans/Oklahoma City	2005–06	82	38	44	.463	4th in Southwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
New Orleans/Oklahoma City	2006–07	82	39	43	.476	4th in Southwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
New Orleans	2007–08	82	56	26	.683	1st in Southwest	12	7	5	.583	Lost in Conference semifinals
New Orleans	2008–09	82	49	33	.598	4th in Southwest	5	1	4	.200	Lost in First round
New Orleans	2009–10	9	3	6	.333	(fired)	—	—	—	—	—
Cleveland	2010–11	82	19	63	.232	5th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2011–12	66	21	45	.318	5th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2012–13	82	24	58	.293	5th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
L.A. Lakers	2014–15	82	21	61	.256	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
L.A. Lakers	2015–16	82	17	65	.207	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Career		1,101	454	647	.412		57	33	24	.579

Images for kids

Scott with Panathinaikos in 1998

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