When the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship the team had an excellent staff under head coach Frank Vogel, led by top assistant Jason Kidd who has since gone on to become head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Now, the Lakers are once again searching for a new head coach and the top two candidates seem to be UConn head coach Dan Hurley and ESPN analyst and former NBA player JJ Redick.
The two couldn’t be more different from an experience standpoint as Hurley has over 20 years of experience at the collegiate level, has won back-to-back National Championships at UConn, and comes from a family of basketball coaches. Redick, meanwhile, has no coaching experience at any major level and has been a commentator and analyst since retiring in 2021, even currently calling the NBA Finals.
But despite their differences, Kidd believes both would be excellent hires as the Lakers’ next head coach as he discussed prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals, via Clutch Points:
“I’m happy when you talk about Hurley being mentioned as a candidate, JJ being mentioned. Two different paths to become head coaches in this league. Both basketball IQs are extremely high. Whoever the Lakers choose, that’s up to them, but when you talk about championships, Hurley has won two at UConn. I’ve gotten to play with Hurley in high school, he is a warrior, he’s a champion. Coaching runs deep in their blood in that family. So if he wanted to become a Laker, that’s incredible for him and his family but also for the Lakers. But JJ also has a basketball IQ and understands how to play the game the right way. So either candidate is gonna be great for the Lakers to choose from.”
The question now is whom the Lakers prefer and, in the case of Hurley at least, whether he is willing to leave his current situation. Hurley is meeting with the Lakers on Friday but it is unclear whether or not he would want to leave UConn, though he has spoken about a desire to coach in the NBA.
Redick, who has long been the presumed favorite to land the job prior to news of the Lakers’ interest in Hurley, would almost certainly accept the job if offered, though he has to finish his obligations with ESPN and the NBA Finals.
Kidd knows both men well and feels either would thrive as Lakers coach so it is now a matter of figuring out whom will ultimately roam the Lakers sidelines next season.
Magic Johnson wants Dan Hurley as next Lakers coach
If Magic Johnson has a say in the matter, the Lakers legend wants Dan Hurley to be the man in charge of the team next season.
Magic appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and made it clear that he hopes Hurley takes the job as he feels he is a winner and someone with a championship background whom players will respect.
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