Former Laker, business exec to team up for KU’s Chandler Lecture

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks to the media, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Former NBA player and coach Byron Scott, along with business executive Charles Norris, will deliver the University of Kansas School of Business Chandler Lecture on Thursday at KU.

The pair will discuss their book “Slam-Dunk Success: Leading from Every Position on Life’s Court,” as part of this year’s Chandler Lecture, slated for 7 p.m. at Capitol Federal Hall, 1654 Naismith Drive.

Scott’s 10-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers includes three NBA championships with the team in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He also played with the Indiana Pacers and the Vancouver Grizzlies before launching his coaching career with the Sacramento Kings, later serving as head coach for the New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers.

Norris is the former CEO and president of McKesson Water, “where he turned the $200 million company into a corporation that sold for $1.1 billion 10 years later,” according to KU’s news release. He is the board chairman for Freshpet Inc., a former startup that now has a market value of more than $350 million.

Previous Chandler lectures have featured Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, KU alumnus and former Ford Motor Co. president and CEO Alan Mulally, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, and FBI agent and KU School of Business alumnus Robert Herndon.

Thursday’s lecture will take place in the Dicus Family Auditorium (Room 1111) at Capitol Federal Hall. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for “2017 Chandler Lecture: Byron Scott & Charles Norris.”