Luke Walton named new head coach of Lakers

Less than 48 hours after the Warriors clinched their first-round playoff series, they lost their top assistant coach. The Lakers announced the hiring of Luke Walton on Friday night, as the 26th head coach in franchise history. Then-top assistant Alvin Gentry left the Warriors in May 2015 to become head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. "Luke has done an incredible job during his two-year stint with our team and has played a significant role in our success, including last year's championship and again this season under some very unique circumstances," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. "We're excited to bring Luke back to Los Angeles, where we feel he's going to start an outstanding coaching career," Kupchak said in a story posted on the team's website. Walton served as the Warriors' interim head coach for the first 43 games this season, while Kerr recovered from two offseason back surgeries.