Lakers hire JJ Redick as new head coach
The Los Angeles Lakers have officially hired former NBA player JJ Redick as the new head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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Redick takes over as Lakers head coach
Wojnaworski reported that Redick, who turns 40 this Monday, has agreed to a four-year contract with the Lakers.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Jovan Buha also reported that the deal is “in the neighborhood of $8 million per season.”
The current ESPN NBA analyst met with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss over the weekend.
Pelinka then offered the coaching job to Redick.
Redick’s “basketball IQ” and his “ability to connect with players.”
Pelinka also thinks surrounding Redick with an experienced staff “will help to shorten the learning curve” for the first-time head coach.
Redick replaced Darvin Ham, who was fired May 3 despite leading the Lakers to a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2023.
Who is JJ Redick and how did he get the Lakers job?
Redick, the former No. 11 pick of the 2006 Draft, established himself as one of NBA’s premier sharpshooters.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 12.8 points in his career, and his 1,950 makes from 3-point range rank him 15th in NBA history in that category.
Redick played for six teams in his NBA career — the Magic, Clippers, 76ers, Pelicans, Bucks and Mavericks.
Before the 2023-24 season had long been a rumored candidate for the Lakers’ head coaching job.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley declined a reported six-year, $70 million offer to join the team.
The former three-point specialist quickly rose to prominence as a podcaster and analyst.
Interestingly, this year Redick teamed up with Lakers superstar LeBron James for a podcast called Mind The Game.
This will be Redick’s first-ever coaching gig.
Lakers’ current situation
Meanwhile, the Lakers finished the season with a first-round playoff defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
James has an option to decline his $51.4 million contract option this month to become a free agent.
The pressure is on Redick, who is tasked with guiding the Lakers to the lofty expectation of winning their 18th NBA title.