The Los Angeles Lakers have officially found their new head coach, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting Thursday that former player and NBA analyst JJ Redick has agreed to a four-year contract to become the Lakers’ next head coach.
This will represent the first head coaching job for Redick following a 15-year career in the NBA. Retiring from the league in 2021 and beginning a career as a basketball analyst and podcast host, fresh off of calling games for ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles parted ways with Darvin Hamm in May following two seasons with the Lakers. And last week, the Lakers interviewed and offered UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley a six-year, $70 million contract that he turned down last Monday. Deciding to return to the Huskies and pursue a third straight national championship.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania initially reported on May 14 that Redick emerged as a potential target for the Lakers’ head coaching job alongside James Borrego and Sam Cassell. Zeroing on Redick as their top target after Hurley turned down the job and his duties as an analyst for ESPN concluded following the Finals.
Along with being an on-air analyst for ESPN, Redick also started his own media company ThreeFourTwo Productions. Where he hosts the ‘The Old Man and the Three‘ alongside Tommy Alter and the ‘Mind the Game‘ podcast with LeBron James. Who Redick will now coach in Los Angeles as he enters the 22nd season of his NBA career.
Redick scored 12,028 points in his NBA career, a three-point specialist who appeared in 110 playoff games in his career as well. Averaging 12.8 points per game in his career, 10.9 points per game in the playoffs, and a career-high 18.1 points per game in the 2018 season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Also one of the most decorated (and notably most hated) college basketball players of all time after being named the 2006 National Player of the Year, a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American, and a two-time ACC Player of the Year.
But despite having a successful playing and media career, Redick has always had a desire to coach at the highest level. A dream that now comes true for one of the most recognizable and iconic brands across the entire sports landscape.
“I’ve talked with teams now going on a year about assistant jobs and I’m interested in being a head coach, Redick told Dan Patrick last year “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.”
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