After months of reporting and rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers finally made the decision to hire former ESPN analyst JJ Redick as their next head coach.
Redick’s hiring comes on the heels of the conclusion of the 2024 NBA Finals, thus lending credence to the idea that the Lakers were waiting for his broadcasting commitment to end. Now, Redick will be in charge of a Los Angeles team looking to win a title as soon as next season despite some deficiencies on the current roster.
Redick’s inexperience as an NBA coach should give any team pause, but his relationship with the stars is arguably more important. Anthony Davis is considered the torch bearer for the franchise once LeBron James retires and Los Angeles placed importance on him and the new head coach being aligned.
A few days before Redick accepted the position, he reportedly spoke with Davis on the phone, via Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
The Lakers’ brass regrouped on June 11, the day after Hurley’s announcement, and finally went all in on their top choice in Redick, according to team and league sources. After meeting with the Lakers on June 15, Redick spoke on the phone with Davis on Monday, a critical relationship in the years to come, sources briefed on the situation said.
The decision to choose Redick came as the Lakers, led by Pelinka, prioritized Davis’ voice in the process and ensured that he understood the shared vision. There were other key players who were supportive of the hiring, sources said.
Although James is expected to re-sign with the Lakers and his input on the new head coach was likely taken into account, it’s more important for Davis to approve of the hire given the organization’s struggles with head coaches as of late. Given that Los Angeles offered Redick, it can be safely assumed that Davis is on board with the hire heading into the 2024-25 season.
With Redick now in place, the Lakers will now need to work on building a staff around him to ease the learning curve. A first-time head coach like Redick will face immense pressure to prove himself immediately and it’ll be interesting to see how he does.
Lakers’ JJ Redick’s contract details
Despite JJ Redick’s lack of experience as a head coach at any level of basketball, Los Angeles granted him a four-year deal that is reportedly worth about $8 million a season.
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