The Los Angeles Lakers ended weeks of speculation with a bold decision, hiring ESPN analyst JJ Redick as their new head coach on a four-year contract, the newspaper reported. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Redick, 39, will be the next man to lead the Lakers despite having no coaching experience other than with his son’s youth basketball team. However, as a studio and game analyst for ESPN over the past three seasons, he has demonstrated a deep knowledge of the NBA game, in addition to the insight he offered on his podcasts “The Old Man and the Three” and “Mind the Game ‘, which he presents with LeBron James.
Pelinka was sold on Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ and believes being surrounded by an elite coaching staff will shorten the learning curve to his first coaching job, sources said. https://t.co/xxqFXSrpJN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2024
Despite Redick’s name being in the mix early in the search, UConn coach Dan Hurley emerged as a top candidate, ultimately turning down a six-year, $70 million deal to become the Lakers’ next head coach.
The suspicion was that Redick had an inside track on the Lakers job because of his podcast partnership with James. Still, the Lakers star was reportedly not involved in the team’s coaching search, believing the organization had to make a decision that could be of major importance beyond the two or three seasons James plans to play.
Team officials were reportedly extremely impressed with Redick after interviewing him, imagining what he could be as a coach rather than what he has already accomplished, according to The Athletic.
The Lakers are enamored with Redick’s potential, according to league sources, and see him as a Pat Riley-like coach who can both help the franchise in the short term and provide leadership for years to come. Riley, a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, was an announcer for the Lakers from 1977 to 1979 before making the jump to assistant coach in 1979 and eventually head coach in 1981.
Whoever mentioned Riley’s name when discussing Redick certainly knew what was being invoked. Riley established his coaching legend with the Lakers, winning four NBA championships during the “Showtime” era. He won three more as a coach and then as a manager with the Miami Heat, with James winning his first two NBA titles under Riley’s chosen successor, Erik Spoelstra.
Someone else who may have influenced Redick’s selection was his coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski. The winningest coach in men’s basketball history, who was himself offered the Lakers head coaching job in 2004, was an unofficial advisor during the team’s search process, according to The Athletic.
The Lakers weren’t the only team considering Redick as a head coach. He interviewed the Charlotte Hornets in April and reportedly spoke with the Toronto Raptors before their opening last year.
Credibility with players shouldn’t be an issue for Redick after a 15-year career in the NBA that included stints with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks. He was the Magic’s first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in the 2006 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Duke. As an NBA player, Redick averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 42% on three-pointers.
Redick replaces Darvin Ham, who was fired after two seasons. The Lakers finished 47–35 during the regular season and earned the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed in the NBA playoffs after defeating New Orleans in the play-in tournament. Los Angeles lost the first round to the Nuggets in five games. Under Ham, the Lakers went 90-74 in the regular season and advanced to the West finals in 2023-2024, where they also lost to Denver.
Other reported candidates for the job included Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman. Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Chris Quinn of the Heat staff also reportedly interviewed with the Lakers.
