The Los Angeles Lakers thought they had pulled off a coaching coup by convincing Connecticut‘s Dan Hurley to make the leap to the NBA — but Hurley chose to stay at UConn in a decision that continues to be heavily analyzed and scrutinized.

Hurley has built a championship-winning program at Connecticut and next year can become the first college coach in over 50 years to lead a team to three consecutive national titles. He chose to continue building an elite NCAA program instead of joining the Lakers and getting the chance to coach LeBron James — and he has now explained what motivated him to spurn Los Angeles‘ advances.

Hurley: I never needed “leverage”

Hurley on Thursday appeared on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” where he quickly bashed the perception that he was merely using the Lakers‘ interest to garner an improved contract at UConn — calling it “one of the worst takes” he has heard.

“I don’t need leverage here,” he said. “We’ve won back-to-back national championships at this place.”

It was only last year when Hurley signed an extension to stay in Storrs until 2029 , but he did give a lot of thought to the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million contract offer before turning it down on Monday. Although the contract immediately would have made Hurley one of the NBA‘s best-paid coaches, he told Le Batard that an even-larger financial package would have enticed him to sunny California.

“To leave (UConn) behind, there probably is a number, (but) I don’t know what that is,” Hurley said.

Hurley could sign a new contract worth more money annually after turning down the Lakers, but it seems like the dollar amount was not as important to him as the coaching fit and future prospects — both of which appear optimal for him at UConn. Only time will tell whether Los Angeles rues this missed opportunity or identifies an even-better fit to lead its team.