The Los Angeles Lakers added a highly respected basketball mind to their draft department on Wednesday, naming Tony Bennett as an NBA Draft advisor to President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka, the team announced.
Pelinka noted that Bennett’s player evaluation and culture setting were major reasons for the hire, calling him “an incredible asset” as the organization continues to make changes to its front office under new major stakeholder Mark Walter.
So, of course, that leads to the question. Who is their new draft advisor? What did he do before coming to Lakerland?
Well, Bennett has one of the most accomplished résumés in college basketball history.
The Wisconsin native most recently served as head coach at the University of Virginia from 2009 to 2024, posting a 364–136 regular-season record and leading the Cavaliers to the 2018-19 NCAA championship—a team that had six players go on to play in the NBA.
That title made Bennett just the fourth former NBA player to win a national championship as a head coach.
That’s right. Bennett—a six-foot point guard from Green Bay—was a former NBA player, drafted in 1992 in the second round (35th overall) by the Charlotte Hornets.
Unfortunately, his career was cut short after suffering a career-ending foot injury in his third and final year in the NBA.
In his 15 seasons as Virginia’s head coach, Bennett led the program to 20-plus wins 14 times (four being 30-or-more-win seasons), six ACC regular-season championships and two ACC Tournament titles.
He was named ACC Coach of the Year four times, joining legends Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to earn that honor four times.
Before Virginia, Bennett spent three seasons at Washington State University, where he posted a 69–33 record and led the Cougars to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his 18-year coaching career, Bennett amassed a 433–169 record. Thirteen of his players went on to be selected in the NBA Draft. Malcolm Brogdon, Klay Thompson, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome are the most notable NBA prospects under his program.
The Lakers' storied history is what drew Bennett to take on the new role, an integral position in the Lakers' development in the Luka Dončić era.
“When Rob and I began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization,” Bennett said. "The Lakers carry a tradition that speaks for itself, so to be connected to it and assist Rob and the Lakers in any way I can is exciting.”
