After his name was floated for the job, JJ Redick will formally interview for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“ESPN Sources: JJ Redick will formally interview for the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching job this weekend and a strong performance is expected to move him to the forefront of the franchise’s search,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
Redick was the reported top candidate until UConn’s Dan Hurley was thrown in within the last week. After a visit, Hurley opted to return to the Huskies and turned down the Lakers.
All eyes are now on Redick as he meets with the brass and the Lakers attempt to get their man. The Charlotte Hornets reportedly interviewed Redick for their job back in April, so it seems like NBA teams value what he could bring to the bench.
Redick spent 16 seasons in the NBA. He shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range in his career, while playing for the Magic, Bucks, Clippers, 76ers, Pelicans and Mavericks.
The 39-year-old has previously talked about his desire to get into coaching down the line.
“You certainly miss the competitive side of professional basketball when you retire, and that’s probably the biggest itch,” Redick told Dan Patrick about potentially coaching last May. “I’m loving what I’m doing right now and I am in a very fortunate situation that I can kind of wait and just see if there’s anything that materializes that’s sort of a perfect fit.”
Redick also serves as an on-air analyst for ESPN, spending time as a guest on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and on the broadcast team of ESPN’s NBA coverage. He moved to the network’s lead team alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke to replace Doc Rivers after he became head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in February.
At Duke, Redick was the 2006 National Player of the Year, a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American and a two-time ACC Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer before being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
“I’ve talked with teams now going on a year about assistant jobs and I’m interested in being a head coach. I don’t have to start as a head coach, I don’t have to start as an assistant, doesn’t matter to me. It’s more just about the fit and the people that are at the organization,” Redick also said to Patrick last year.
Matt Connolly contributed to this report
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