When the Los Angeles Lakers began their search for a new head coach at the start of the offseason, one name that immediately began to emerge was JJ Redick.
The ESPN analyst has not coached at any level other than youth since he retired from playing in 2021, but he made it clear that he misses being competitive and in a locker room, which is why he was looking to get into coaching.
Redick, of course, started a podcast with Lakers star LeBron James earlier this year and the two immediately became very close due to their basketball knowledge and enjoyment of talking Xs and Os.
While James was said to not be involving in the Lakers’ coaching search, it became clear early in the process that Redick was his preferred choice.
But as the process went on, the Lakers shifted their focus to UConn head coach Dan Hurley, trying to pry him away from the college ranks. When they were unsuccessful in doing so, however, the focus shifted back to Redick and the other candidates.
Now, it appears that Redick will interview with the Lakers this weekend and could quickly become the favorite from there, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
JJ Redick will formally interview for the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching job this weekend, and a strong performance is expected to move him to the forefront of the franchise’s search, sources told ESPN.
Redick, an ESPN NBA analyst who played 15 years in the league, had a 90-plus-minute visit with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka last month at the Chicago draft combine. Now, a trip to Los Angeles will go far deeper into detail on the job and the meetings will include Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, sources said.
Redick is known to have a great basketball mind, as he has shown on his own podcast and the one with James. He also seems to have the respect of players across the league today. There’s no way to make up for a lack of experience though, so there’s no denying that hiring another first-time head coach is a risk for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers.
If it works out then the 39-year-old Redick will be the Lakers’ head coach for years to come, with the franchise envisioning him as the next Pat Riley. If it doesn’t, however, then the Lakers will be looking for their eighth new head coach since Phil Jackson’s departure in 2011.
James Borrego also in mix in Lakers’ search
It was recently reported that James Borrego is still in the mix in the Lakers’ coaching search and perhaps even the favorite. Redick has the ability to move ahead of him this weekend but if he doesn’t impress the Lakers brass then they may circle back to Borrego.
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