Seven weeks after firing Darvin Ham, the Los Angeles Lakers selected JJ Redick, a podcaster and announcer who had a 15-year NBA career, as their next head coach on Thursday, according to a league source with direct knowledge of the matter. AthleticRedick is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Lakers worth about $8 million per season, according to a source briefed on the deal.
Behind the scenes, the Lakers have been zeroing in on the 39-year-old Redick for the past four weeks, flirting with the possibility of coaching not just the next few seasons of LeBron James' legendary career, but the present and future.
Redick's initial two-hour interview for the Lakers head coaching position was with vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago the week of May 13. Redick then entered the Lakers facility on June 15 to reunite with Pelinka and the rest of the team's key stakeholders, owners Jeanie, Joey and Jesse Buss.
Sources with direct knowledge of the meetings described Redick as “impressive” during his visit to Los Angeles, diving deep into offensive and defensive philosophies and demonstrating a passion for the sport that foreshadows a willingness to dedicate significant hours to the modern head coach.
He explained that when it comes to strategy, analytics and empirical evidence, rather than preconceived ideas or outdated beliefs, always guide his choices. Redick described the system he formed around this roster, with an emphasis on increasing Anthony Davis' involvement, especially late in games, and on easing James' constant ball-handling burden by utilizing him more without the ball. Keeping James healthy through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, when he turns 40 in December, will be crucial.
For the Lakers, Redick's use of stars James and Davis may be smoother due to their status as respected former players, but how he unlocks the rest of the roster and coaches them from the top down remains crucial to the job. Austin Reeves would be a great addition to a strong Lakers offensive three under Redick, who will be tasked with developing players like Rui Hachimura, Max Christie and whoever the franchise chooses in the draft.
Team sources said Redick showed promise in his meetings with Pelinka and the Lakers' ownership team, but as with any first-time head coach, the real test will come in training camp, during the season's adversities, managing the relationships with the players and controlling the locker room.
Redick has enjoyed rapid media success since retiring in 2021, running a podcast network, launching the “Mind the Game” show with James and serving as a commentator during the NBA Finals while simultaneously pursuing a head coaching job. Redick interviewed for the Toronto Raptors' top coaching job in 2023 and the Charlotte Hornets this year. He has never coached professionally, and his only coaching experience to date has been with his son's youth basketball team.
League sources briefed on Redick's thoughts said he has aspirations to become an NBA head coach and is willing to accept the challenges that come with the position, believing it is the natural progression of his basketball career.
As Redick watched the NBA playoffs as both a commentator and a viewer, he envisioned how he could take advantage of a James/Davis team. Just a few years after his playing career ended, Redick has a new basketball challenge ahead of him.
The Lakers have had a turbulent coaching search.
The process consisted largely of Pelinka himself interviewing candidates off-site or virtually, rather than at Lakers headquarters. After meeting with Redick, Pelinka interviewed with Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego in Los Angeles on May 20. Several other candidates met virtually, including Boston's Sam Cassell, Minnesota's Micah Noli, Denver's David Adelman and Miami's Chris Quinn.
On May 29, Borrego became the first candidate to enter the Lakers' facility and reunite with Pelinka and the ownership team.
In the days before and after Borrego's second in-person visit, some Lakers insiders believed the focus of the head-coaching search was centered on Redick. Given the lack of a championship-experienced recruit to hire after Mike Budenholzer left for the Suns and the Clippers signed Ty Lue to a long-term five-year contract extension, league sources briefed on the matter said the Lakers were more likely to add Redick, a high-potential candidate tasked with balancing winning and development and allowed to coach past early mistakes.
Then, out of nowhere, Dan Hurley appeared. On June 6, ESPN reported that the coach of the two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies was a “target” for the Lakers. Outside of Jeanie Buss and Pelinka, the matter was tight-lipped within the organization.
When Hurley and his wife, Andrea, visited the Lakers' facility on June 7, only two people met with him: Pelinka and Jeanie Buss.
Hurley left Los Angeles after being offered a six-year, $70 million contract, according to a league source with knowledge of the matter, and returned to his home state of Connecticut to ponder his decision while the basketball world waited.
Hurley announced on June 10 that he would remain with the Huskies. He signed a new contract with the University of Connecticut that will make him the highest-paid coach in college basketball, with a six-year contract worth more than $50 million a year, according to league sources.
The Lakers quickly offered Hurley a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league, but some inside and outside the Lakers organization questioned whether the attempt was serious and whether Hurley was using the team to obtain funds to stay in Connecticut. One team source directly involved in the Hurley acquisition viewed the Hurley situation as a Hail Mary.
But this much is clear: As for Jeanie Buss, the Lakers' final decision-maker, team sources say she was very keen to have Hurley as the next coach and was deeply disappointed when that effort fell through.
Hurley himself, during his media rounds, told Dan Le Batard that the Lakers first began showing interest on June 5. When asked on “The Dan Le Batard Show with the Staggotts” if he needed negotiating power to get a raise at Connecticut, he denied it, but later said he needed the university's name, image and likeness rights, as well as increased pay for his own staff, before entering into negotiations with the Lakers.
And just like that, Harley disappeared from the screen almost as quickly as she had appeared.
Lakers brass regrouped on June 11, the day after Hurley's announcement, and ultimately selected Redick as their first choice, according to team and league sources. Redick met with the Lakers on June 15 and then spoke by phone with Davis on Monday, in what will be a key relationship over the next few years, a source familiar with the situation said.
The decision to select Redick came as Pelinka and the Lakers sought to emphasize Davis' input and understand their shared vision, and other key players supported the hire, according to people familiar with the matter.
Los Angeles believes Redick is the long-term coaching solution the franchise has struggled to find in more than a decade.
The Lakers have had seven head coaches since Phil Jackson left in the summer of 2011 (eight, including Bernie Bickerstaff's five-game interim stint in 2013). Winning doesn't necessarily translate to job security in Los Angeles. Frank Vogel won a championship in 2020 but was fired two years later. Ham reached the Western Conference finals in 2023 before leaving after one season.
But the 39-year-old Redick ticks many boxes on the Lakers' extensive checklist of what they want in their next head coach. He's been compared internally to a younger Pat Riley, who made the jump from playing to broadcasting to coaching (Riley was an assistant with the Lakers for two years before taking the top job). Los Angeles is confident Redick can be a culture creator who can grow with a team for a decade or more, like an Erik Spoelstra or Steve Kerr. However, the number of former players and first-time head coaches who haven't lived up to expectations far outnumber those who have succeeded, with recent examples including Steve Nash (Brooklyn), Derek Fisher (Knicks), Jason Kidd (Brooklyn) and Ham.
One of the Lakers' respected informal sources in this process, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter, is legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Krzyzewski has in-depth knowledge of Redick and other candidates, and an eye for the culture an organization is looking for and the character of the staff surrounding its next head coach. Krzyzewski's relationship with the Lakers dates back to 2004, when Dr. Jerry Buss urged the Lakers to hire Coach K but failed to do so. Redick played under Krzyzewski at Duke from 2002-06.
According to league sources, candidates for assistant coaching positions on Redick's staff include former head coach and recent Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks, former Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, former Lakers and current Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley and Cassell.
The timing of Redick's hiring is notable because he will be part of Los Angeles' roster plans ahead of the NBA Draft on June 26 and 27. It's the first day the Lakers can trade their three tradeable picks (2024, '29 and '31). It also puts a leader in place ahead of James' looming free agency. The 39-year-old superstar has until June 29 to decide whether to exercise his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. The Lakers would be open to any contract structure to keep James in Los Angeles, league sources said. Athletic.
James' decision and how the Lakers restructure around him and Davis will determine the direction of Los Angeles next season, but adding Redick represents a big bet on an unproven coach the team believes can help guide the Lakers into the next era of basketball.
(Top photo: Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images)