Lakers hire Mike D'Antoni as coach

• Lakers hired former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni as head coach Sunday.
• D'Antoni agreed to a four-year contract with the Lakers.
• Ex-Lakers coach Phil Jackson met with team officials on Saturday after Mike Brown's firing Friday.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers hired former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni on Sunday night, his agent confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The deal, according to agent Warren LeGarie, is for four years. A person with knowledge of D'Antoni's deal said it will pay him a combined $12 million in three guaranteed seasons and includes a team option in the fourth. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because financial terms are not disclosed by the team.

The decision serves as a shocking development for Lakers fans who were clamoring for the return of Phil Jackson. The former Lakers coach met with team officials on Saturday and was thought to be on his way back after the Friday firing of Mike Brown.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the story.

The Lakers, in their second game under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, downed the Sacramento Kings 103-90 Sunday night to improve to 3-4.

For all the local clamoring for Jackson's return, there was at least one person in Laker Land who was going to be just fine if the team settled for its No. 2 candidate: Steve Nash. The Lakers point guard shared special times with D'Antoni while with the Suns — four seasons of seven-seconds-or-less bliss from 2004 to 2008 that marked the high point of both of their storied careers.

"Obviously with Mike, everyone knows how I feel about him," Nash, who is out with a non-displaced fracture in his left fibula at least until Friday, told USA TODAY Sports after the Lakers downed Sacramento. "It'd be a seamless fit for me."

D'Antoni, who resigned from the Knicks in March, is also known to have a good relationship with Kobe Bryant from their time spent together with Team USA. Bryant has a high opinion of D'Antoni dating back to his days growing up in Italy, when D'Antoni was a player with Olimpia Milano.

"There's some great coaches out there, and (D'Antoni would) be another guy who I'd be absolutely in favor of," Bryant said Friday. "I mean, I love D'Antoni and what he brings."

D'Antoni, who also coached the Denver Nuggets, has a career record of 388-339 (53.4%). He led the Suns to the Western Conference finals in 2005 and 2006.