It’s no secret that JJ Redick has NBA coaching aspirations. The current top game analyst for ESPN and host of various podcasts interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets vacancy this offseason and has made it known that he wants to be a head coach at some point, following the player to broadcaster to coaching pipeline that others like Steve Kerr and Mark Jackson have taken.
The question, of course, is what team would be willing to bring in a young coach with little experience on the bench, but clearly has a strong understanding of the game. It would be almost a necessity for Redick to go into a situation where he had the respect and co-sign of the best player on the team, as that would go a long way into getting buy-in from the rest of the squad since he does not have a past track record to point to in order to command that kind of immediate respect.
One of Redick’s current podcasts is “Mind the Game”, in which he and LeBron James sip wine and discuss the finer points of basketball. It just so happens that the Lakers head coaching job has come open after the team fired Darvin Ham on Friday, and Redick was immediately listed as one of the top candidates for the vacancy.
The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with coach Darvin Ham, and sources tell me and @jovanbuha an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2024
Dave McMenamin also noted Redick was a “real candidate” on the Dan Patrick Show this week, and Charania noted Redick is one of the “hottest candidates on the market.”
We’ll see if the Lakers are willing to make that leap with Redick, but it would be pretty incredible if he parlayed a podcast with James talking about X’s and O’s into the Lakers head coaching job. That’s not to say it couldn’t work, Redick is clearly a very smart basketball guy, but it would be a very 2024 way to get a highly coveted coaching job.