The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly set to hire former NBA player JJ Redick now that the NBA Finals are over.
Lakers reporter Anthony F. Irwin tweeted Tuesday the news that many have expected since UConn basketball head coach Dan Hurley turned down Los Angeles in favor of returning to Storrs.
“Hearing it's done,” Irwin wrote. “JJ Redick is the next coach of the Lakers. About to go live to talk about it.”
Redick had been a part of ESPN's broadcast team for the NBA Finals, which The Athletic's Jovan Buha had said could have slowed down the Lakers' hiring process. But with the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks Monday night to end the series and thus the season, Redick is apparently clear of media responsibilities now.
Lakers reportedly hiring JJ Redick as new head coach
JJ Redick spent 15 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers, before retiring in 2021. Even before his retirement, Redick became one of the first active players to host a podcast, which he parlayed into even greater success in the past few years.
While deciding to leave the game behind, Redick stayed connected to the NBA via his popular podcasting ventures, as well as a media personality with ESPN. Initially an occasional guest on First Take and a secondary color commentator on ESPN's NBA broadcasts, Redick ascended to a seat on ESPN's top broadcasting team during the 2023-24 season after Doc Rivers, who coached Redick during his time with the Clippers, left his broadcasting gig to return to coaching with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Redick ended up calling his first NBA Finals as a result of Rivers' departure, but during the postseason, Redick's name surfaced as a potential head coaching candidate for two jobs: the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers. A Duke graduate, Redick was reportedly one of the finalists for the Hornets' vacant head coaching position before Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee was hired.
That left the Lakers, who coincidentally have LeBron James under contract. James and Redick started hosting a podcast together, Mind the Game, earlier this season, which led some to believe James had done so in a calculated attempt to undermine then-Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.
After the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the postseason, Ham and his entire staff were fired. Reported top candidates to replace Ham included Mike Budenholzer, James Borrego, Kenny Atkinson, and Redick, the latter of whom has no relevant coaching experience.
While Redick remained at or near the top of the Lakers' reported list, UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley suddenly shot to the forefront in recent weeks. While seemingly not being discussed as a candidate for more than a month, Hurley was reportedly offered a $70 million contract by the Lakers, which would have made him one of the top five highest-paid coaches in the NBA.
Hurley turned the Lakers down, however, so now the Lakers are seemingly primed to hire Redick and give him his first crack at coaching.
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