LOS ANGELES – When JJ Redick was first hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, he drew outside comparisons to the legendary Pat Riley. Redick’s pathway to coaching followed a similar story in that he went directly into broadcasting upon retirement and had no previous coaching experience before joining the Lakers staff in 1979.
Prior to the Lakers’ game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Pat Riley was honored outside Crypto.com Arena with a statue, the latest in a long list of franchise legends who have been immortalized outside of the Lakers’ home arena.
During his pregame press conference, JJ Redick spoke about the comparisons to the Lakers’ legendary coach, as well as the influence Riley has had on coaching as whole.
“I didn’t think much of the comparisons at the time. I think Pat, to me, sort of set the standard for modern NBA coaches. I kind of have always looked at the NBA in sort of two very distinct eras,” Redick said. “You can sort of make the demarcation point either right at the merger, or in 80-81 right around the time when Dallas joined as the 23rd team.”
“And that’s sort of, to me, the beginning of the modern NBA. And that’s right when the Lakers run of ‘80 started,” Redick continued. “Pat just set the standard for what a modern NBA coach should be.”
Redick is in his second year of a four-year contract he signed in the 2024 offseason as head coach of the Lakers. In his first year, he led the Lakers to a 50-32 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.
In comparison, Riley led the Lakers to a 50-21 record after taking over as head coach during the 1981-82 season. Their overall record was 57-25. The Lakers would win the title that year, starting off a string of eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances with four total championships.
Pat Riley’s thoughts on JJ Redick
Pat Riley’s final two seasons at the helm as head coach coincided with JJ Redick’s first two seasons of his NBA career. But he still had to worry about game-planning for Redick once he moved back into an executive role with the Miami Heat.
Although Riley has been employed by the Heat organization since 1995, he still keeps tabs on his old team, and believes they hit a home run with the Redick hire.
“I love JJ, I really do. I competed against him, my teams competed against him. . .he was a fiery guy. He could shoot the hell out of the ball. He was tough as nails,” Riley said during a media availability session before the game. “Sometimes I look back and I remember myself at that time. And I looked at JJ and I think they picked the right person. There’s just this quality about him I think that goes above and beyond.”
While not quite the same as the roster that Riley was working with when he first became Lakers head coach, Redick has had to integrate the talent of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves all together. Riley believes the Lakers have a good team, and that the organization has put Redick in a position to succeed.
“They have a hell of a team for him right here with [Luka] Doncic and [Austin] Reaves and obviously with LeBron,” Riley said. “I think Rob [Pelinka]. . .and the new ownership will build the team to compliment those players, but they have a great opportunity. I think JJ will be a good coach for them.”
