The last two years, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was in the NBA Finals as a member of the Golden State Warriors coaching staff. His role in helping the team get there — especially when he shepherded the team to a 39-4 start in head coach Steve Kerr’s absence due to complications from back surgery — was what helped him land his job with the Lakers last summer.
Walton may no longer be serving the Warriors in any official capacity this year, and isn’t able to roam the sidelines now that Kerr’s back issues have left him absent from Golden State’s playoff run, but those factors haven’t kept him from supporting his former boss.