The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to fire head coach Darvin Ham after a first-round playoff exit, launching another Lakers coaching search for the franchise. While the process hasn’t begun, Redick is reportedly viewed as a viable option for Los Angeles.
Ham went 90-74 during the regular season from 2022-’24 in Los Angeles, but he was on the hot seat all year. Fractured relationships with the locker room and a distrust between the Lakers’ coach and star players led to the league-wide expectation that a change would eventually be made.
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Before Ham was even officially fired by Los Angeles, potential candidates started emerging in the Lakers coaching search. While many of them have prior head-coaching experience, it appears going completely outside the organization with a former player and current NBA analyst is a real possibility.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin said that Redick is a ‘real candidate’ if the Lakers open up their coaching search.
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“JJ certainly is a real candidate if they open up this coaching search. But there’s, I’d say, a half a dozen folks out there.”
Dave McMenamin on JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search
Redick, who last played in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks in 2021, has since been an analyst for ESPN and hosted his own podcast. However, the 39-year-old has drawn interest from NBA teams in recent years for assistant coaching jobs and is considered a viable option to become the Charlotte Hornets head coach.
While Charlotte would be an easier first-year coaching job for Redick, the opportunity to coach in Los Angeles could prove appealing. He already has a strong relationship with LeBron James, as evidenced by the Mind The Game Pod w/ LeBron James and JJ Redick that was just released this year.
The Lakers coaching search will obviously lead the team to interview more experienced candidates, but Redick’s strong relationship with James and the high regard many around the league have for his leadership, basketball IQ and media savvy could make him a viable option in Los Angeles.