The Lakers hosted former player and current broadcaster JJ Redick on Saturday in their most formal interview with him yet, with multiple members of the organization speaking with the former Duke star about the team’s head coaching vacancy.
The move is significant for Redick, who has been a central figure in the team’s coaching search as an outside favorite, a presumed front-runner after initial contact at the NBA draft combine and now potentially the final candidate to meet with executive vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss and other key Lakers figures.
While some within the organization have said the team won’t necessarily need to hire a coach before the NBA draft on June 26-27, major decisions need to be made regarding the roster, including the possibility of selecting three players first exchange. round picks (No. 17 this year and unprotected firsts in 2029 and 2031) on draft night.
The Lakers previously hosted New Orleans assistant coach James Borrego and Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. The team offered Hurley the job, but he turned down a six-year, $70 million deal to remain with the Huskies.
The search for Darvin Ham’s replacement has taken more than a month, with Pelinka initially leading the process through a series of informal conversations. In addition to Borrego, Hurley and Redick, the team also spoke to a slew of other candidates, including Boston assistant Sam Cassell, Denver assistant David Adelman and Minnesota assistant Micah Nori.
Redick has had several conversations with Pelinka since Ham’s firing, according to people with knowledge of the situation who are not authorized to speak publicly.
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But since the earliest stages of the search, Redick had been considered a candidate by outside observers. He was briefly linked to the Charlotte opening before moving to the forefront of the Lakers’ search.
Despite internal resistance, the Lakers conducted an open and broad search, rival NBA executives repeatedly linked the Lakers to Redick. The team’s pursuit of Hurley showed, in part, that the Lakers’ search extended beyond the known candidates.
Redick, who has built a successful podcast company, co-hosts a show with LeBron James called “Mind the Game,” in which the two delve deeper into basketball strategy and play-calling.
James, who could be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he opts out of his deal, has not been directly involved in the Lakers’ search.
Redick is currently broadcasting the NBA Finals, and there is widespread speculation that the Lakers would wait for him to end his responsibilities at ESPN/ABC before hiring him as head coach.
However, the team hosted Borrego for in-person interviews two weeks ago and last week shocked the basketball world when their interest in Hurley became public.
With Redick, the Lakers would not only be gambling on a new NBA coach, but also on someone without any meaningful coaching experience at any level. Redick is considered a highly analytical thinker with a smart basketball mind. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, including a stop with the Clippers, where he became one of the NBA’s best three-point shooters.
He is Duke’s all-time leading scorer and 22nd all-time in Division I men’s basketball.
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
