JJ Redick has been working as an NBA analyst for ESPN since 2021.
• Download the NBA app
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed former NBA player and current ESPN NBA analyst JJ Redick to a deal to become the team’s new coach.
According to multiple reports, Redick agreed to a four-year contract with the Lakers this morning and plans to bolster his staff with some experienced assistants.
Redick, who never coached in the NBA, retired in 2021 after playing 15 seasons with six NBA teams. He began working as an NBA commentator for ESPN shortly after retiring and was the lead commentator for the network’s coverage of the 2024 NBA Finals on ABC.
JJ Redick has agreed to a four-year contract to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN sources. Rob Pelinka was offered the job this morning, and Redick has begun working to assemble an experienced staff. pic.twitter.com/G66eVFRALp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2024
A short article about the Lakers coaching search ending where many thought it began https://t.co/0zEcR5qpl2 https://t.co/ymebSIU771
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 20, 2024
Redick and Lakers star LeBron James host a podcast called “Mind the Game,” which has already proven hugely popular, with listeners often impressed by the duo’s basketball acumen and deep discussions of tactics and motivation.
Now they’ll work together on the Lakers, with Redick leading a roster that includes James, who is six months younger than Redick.
The Lakers needed a new coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham in early May after two seasons as head coach, during which he compiled a 90-74 record, two playoff appearances, reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals and won its first mid-season tournament.
The Lakers finished the 2023-24 season with a disappointing 47-35 record and a five-game first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Here’s a closer look at Redick: The 39-year-old is an unusual choice for the Lakers, who hired a 15-year veteran with zero coaching experience to lead a franchise that has 17 NBA championships, is one of the biggest sports brands in the world and features James, the league’s all-time leading scorer.
While Redick’s coaching experience is limited to children’s youth teams, he has been involved in the sport his whole life. He is Duke’s all-time leading scorer and played four seasons under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
While Redick is an unorthodox choice, his unexpected success is not unprecedented in Lakers lore or recent NBA history.
Pat Riley was the Lakers’ announcer when Paul Westhead took over as manager after Jack McKinney was nearly killed in a bicycle accident in November 1979. Westhead hired Riley, who had no coaching experience, as an assistant, and Riley became the Lakers’ manager in late 1981 after Westhead clashed with Magic Johnson.
Riley led the Lakers to four championships in the 1980s, launching a successful coaching and management career.
Lakers outlook: Los Angeles will have the 17th pick in the 2024 draft, a selection that Redick and his staff will surely have a say in. The Lakers also own the 55th pick in the second round and will be looking to add some young talent to a team that already features James (the oldest player in the league last season).
The Lakers’ struggles in 2024-25 were a blow because James and Anthony Davis were mostly healthy throughout the year and both superstars played more games than they had in any NBA season since 2017-18: Davis played 76 games and James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, played 71. D’Angelo Russell also had a strong regular season, setting a franchise record for three-pointers.
Injuries, inconsistent play and mediocre defense led to midseason struggles for the Lakers, who went 3-10 during the break following the midseason tournament.
The Lakers made the play-in tournament both seasons under Ham and ultimately reached the postseason both times, but a 2022-23 West Finals appearance makes the stakes much higher for L.A. this season.
Both James and Davis have player options for this summer that must be exercised by June 29. The Lakers have 11 players who could become free agents this summer. James, Davis and the Lakers have failed to win a playoff round in three of the four seasons since winning in 2020 in the Florida bubble.
The Lakers hired Hamm after firing Frank Vogel, who was fired just 18 months after winning the NBA title in 2020. Vogel replaced Luke Walton after another lengthy coaching search in which it was widely reported the Lakers wanted Tyronn Lue, but the deal ultimately fell apart over money and management issues.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.