Report: Lakers Met With JJ Redick For ‘Extended Period Of Time,’ He’s Frontrunner To Land Coaching Job

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Los Angeles Lakers met with JJ Redick for an “extended period of time.”

Redick is the frontrunner to become the next head coach of the Lakers. 

“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

Redick and Lakers star LeBron James co-host a podcast together. It would shock many people in the NBA if Los Angeles didn’t hire Redick. 

According to Charania and Jovan Buha, the Lakers are “infatuated” with Redick’s potential. 

The Lakers, who have held formal meetings with Redick, James Borrego and Sam Cassell, view Redick as a Pat Riley-like coaching prospect.

“Leaguewide, Redick — a former player and media analyst — has garnered buzz for the position,” Buha and Charania wrote. “The Lakers are infatuated with Redick’s potential, according to league sources, viewing him as a Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years. Riley, a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, was a broadcaster for the Lakers from 1977 to 1979 before making the leap to assistant coach in 1979 and then eventually head coach in 1981.”

The Lakers fired Darvin Ham as their head coach after two seasons. Ham went 90-74 in the regular season and 9-12 in the playoffs.

The Lakers went 47-35 this season. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs in five games.

Denver also eliminated Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals in four games. 

LeBron is staying out of the Lakers’ coaching search. The leading scorer in NBA history can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason by declining his 2024-25 player option worth $51.4 million.

Redick played 15 years in the NBA with the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. He’s 18th in NBA history in 3-point field goal percentage (41.5%).