Long before Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick announced the Lakers' starting lineup for the 2024-25 campaign, he interviewed for the Toronto Raptors head coaching position in 2023. Redick didn't get the job, but when the Charlotte Hornets and Lakers called, expressing interest in their respective coaching vacancies the following year, the former 3-point specialist seriously considered it before meeting with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka during the draft combine in May. After the chat, JJ was named one of three candidates alongside Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego and UConn coach Dan Hurley, to which people in Redick's inner circle suggested he walk away from the candidacy altogether, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“You're already doing so well in media, they said. Just wait, and other opportunities will arise, he heard. Hey, someone is going to have to replace Gregg Popovich in San Antonio at some point. You could be the guy to coach Victor Wembanyama, they reasoned,” McMenamin wrote. “Have you paid attention to the Lakers lately? They're a circus, was the refrain.”

Still, Redick's confidence as a rookie head coach never wavered.

“I think in response to the people who say, ‘You had such a good thing going on,' they were correct. I enjoyed three years of retirement. I really did,” Redick said. “The things that I was able to do in media have not been lost on me … and all the stuff that we did in the podcast space. I'm very proud of it.”

“There's a competitive itch that I have every single day of my life. And no matter how many swings I took, that was not getting satisfied. And so, I felt a real calling in terms of the competitive side.”

After playing 15 NBA seasons with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Orleans Pelicans, Redick retired before going into sports broadcasting. He launched a podcast in 2016 with Yahoo! Sports, becoming the first active NBA player to host a podcast before joining The Ringer.

Redick eventually started his own media company, ThreeFourTwo Production, in 2020 before launching his podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” which reached over 320 million views on YouTube. Then, Redick and Lakers superstar LeBron James launched a podcast called “Mind of The Game.”

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JJ Redick reveals Lakers' 2024-25 starting lineup

Lakers coach JJ Redick at press conference at UCLA Health Training Center
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed his plans for point guard D'Angelo Russell in 2024-25, the rookie coach also unveiled his starting five ahead of Lakers training camp. In a conversation with Zach Lowe on the “Lowe Podcast,” Redick says Russell will join superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves in the Lakers' starting lineup.

The Lakers open their preseason schedule against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.