The Los Angeles Lakers made a coaching change earlier this offseason, as the decision was made to part ways with Darvin Ham after two years. Almost immediately, one name began popping up on every list of potential candidates: JJ Redick, the retired sharpshooter who is now a media personality both on his own and with ESPN, the latter of which has him on its A-booth for NBA broadcasts alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke.
Redick has never been a coach, but he’s known for being an incredibly sharp and well-respected basketball mind, and of course, one of his podcasts just happens to feature Lakers star LeBron James as a co-host. And apparently, Los Angeles has gotten to a point in its process where Redick can be viewed around the NBA as the frontrunner, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“I’m told that last week the Lakers met with JJ Redick for an extended period of time..
He was the first person to do a face to face meeting and my sense is that he’s the frontrunner for this job” ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/leqeBn0mCk
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 24, 2024
“Going into this process, and right now, my sense is that JJ Redick, he is the guy around the league that everyone believes is the frontrunner for this job,” Charania said. “He’s in position. I think there’s an infatuation with JJ Redick right now, just in terms of his ability for right now, but also, being a coach that the Lakers can have for years and years to come. That’s someone who is obviously young enough in the industry, young enough in this space, when you feel like you have a four, five, maybe six year runway with a guy like JJ Redick as your head coach, where now, you have him command the respect of a LeBron James, an Anthony Davis.”
There’s no word for a timetable on when the Lakers could end up making a decision on their next coach.