Lakers Hire Former Virginia Basketball Coach Tony Bennett In Unique Advisory Role

The Virginia Cavaliers are having a striking basketball season and have left fans stunned on numerous occasions. This is Ryan Odom's first year as the new head coach, taking over after Tony Bennett's retirement.

Ahead of one of the Cavaliers' latest matchups against the Miami Hurricanes, Virginia unveiled the new 'Tony Bennett Court' at John Paul Jones Arena, which was, of course, dedicated to Bennett and his leadership as the head coach. He was joined by his family, former players and a packed arena.

"... Obviously, a great evening, or afternoon, in honor of Coach Bennett," said Odom. "It was so cool. I was honored to be on the court with him in that moment. I don't think either of us, we talked about it yesterday morning on the phone, like neither one of us could have ever predicted that we would be standing there together. We knew he would be getting his name on the court at some point, but not me standing there with him, and he's been so supportive of the guys and me personally."

Bennett’s Basketball Journey Isn’t Over Yet

Virginia Cavaliers Tony Bennett speaking in front of a microphone. — Virginia Cavaliers former head men's basketball coach Tony Bennett | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Just days after the unveiling, the Los Angeles Lakers announced they hired Bennett as their new NBA Draft Advisor. He may be finished working with the Cavaliers, but his time in the basketball community is far from over.

The Lakers welcome Tony Bennett as NBA Draft Advisor. pic.twitter.com/OKA0PslGoY
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 25, 2026

“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Tony as an advisor to the Lakers basketball operations department,” said president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, per NBA.com. "As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource. Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill and high-IQ players, is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts, and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited."

This is just the next step in Bennett's basketball journey, but Virginia and Lakers fans should be equally as excited to watch him enter this new chapter. He was an incredibly successful coach at UVA, and the timeline for this announcement couldn't have been better.

As the Cavaliers continue to navigate what is left of their 2026 campaign, Bennett remains an integral part of the program after spending well over a decade leading the Hoos' basketball program.