One of the biggest storylines of the NBA offseason involved the Los Angeles Lakers search for a new head coach after they fired Darvin Ham. While they made a huge play for UConn's Dan Hurley, they eventually settled in on JJ Redick, who was presumed to be the frontrunner all along due to his friendship with LeBron James.

While Redick and James are close friends, having launched their own podcast “Mind the Game” back in March, they have both stated that LeBron had no impact in the Lakers decision to hire Redick. Sure enough, LA's new head coach revealed that he and James did not discuss him potentially coaching the Lakers until June 20th, which was four days before he was announced to have landed the gig.

“Redick was eating lunch with his dad when he fielded perhaps the most important phone call of his life…'Dad, I got to go make one call,' Redick said, recalling how he pushed his chair back from his table at the stately Washington Duke Inn on Duke's golf course on June 20. ‘So, that's when I first called LeBron. First time we had talked about me coaching. And I came back. I sat back down. I said, ‘All right, I'm in.”” – Dave McMenamin, ESPN

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Redick's timeline would certainly line up with the notion that he and James didn't talk about him coaching the Lakers until it became clear it was a real possibility to happen. While their relationship may have incentivized the Lakers hiring team to steer things his way once Hurley bowed out of the running, LeBron personally didn't do anything to sway them in his favor.

Regardless, the pair are working in tandem with Los Angeles now, and they will likely play a massive role in determining how successful the Lakers will be this season. There's no doubt that any team with James and Anthony Davis leading the way has a shot at winning a championship, and if Redick can help the team overcome some of their recent woes, he will be hailed as a hero in Los Angeles.