Getty Image / Maddie Meyer
The Los Angeles Lakers coaching search took over six weeks as they searched for the right fit to win the franchise their 18th NBA title. They found their man in former NBA shooting guard and ESPN analyst JJ Redick.
The Lakers had a newsworthy flirtation with UConn coach Dan Hurley, but it seems as though their guy may have been JJ Redick all along.
The Lakers were seriously linked to JJ Redick in Early June, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that he was the front-runner for the job back on June 6.
But, the search quickly turned to the two-time defending champion Dan Hurley, who ultimately turned them down to stay at UConn and chase a three-peat. Apparently, that moved the search back to Redick, though names like James Borrego were also mentioned.
JJ Redick and Lakers forward LeBron James, who could theoretically leave this offseason by opting out and signing elsewhere in free agency, started a podcast called Mind The Game. Given the close relationship between JJ Redick and LeBron James, is this the coach they wanted all along? After all, if LeBron left in free agency, the Lakers would be drawing dead.
Redick is certainly an out-of-the-box hire. He has no coaching experience and has been working in media since his fifteen-season NBA career finished up in 2021. The former Duke star definitely has great basketball acumen. But, is this the right hire to risk the future of the Lakers on, given that they’re pretty mortgaged out for the future and they’re in win-now mode.
The case study for this working out is Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Kerr didn’t have any coaching experience when he took the Warriors job prior to the 2014-2015 season, reeling off three titles in four years and winning another one in 2022. But, Kerr had worked in high-ranking front office roles with the Phoenix Suns, experience that Redick does not have.
The Lakers are betting that the experience doesn’t matter. It appears that JJ Redick may have been their guy, influenced by LeBron James all along.