Is JJ Redick the frontrunner for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job?
That remains to be seen as the Lakers’ head coaching search remains shrouded in mystery. Though reports have pegged the ESPN NBA analyst as a perceived favorite, whether that will come to fruition is still up in the air. Interestingly, LeBron James has publicly distanced himself from the process, squashing rumors of his influence—directly or through his agent, Rich Paul.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped those from connecting Redick to the Lakers, specifically because of his relationship with the 39-year-old James, and they’re co-hosting the Mind the Game podcast together.
Skepticism from pundits around the country also hasn’t appeared to significantly dampen things. Redick’s name grows with more prominence as the wheels keep spinning. According to a new report last week, those wheels might be further along than we think.
But James wants you to know that the wheels turning in that direction have nothing to do with him or his influence on the organization.
“I’m told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers head coaching search…James has made it clear that this is the organization’s decision, he’s had no conversions with the Lakers about JJ Redick.”@ShamsCharania on the #Lakers coaching search pic.twitter.com/4YbscRYII7
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 20, 2024
“I’m told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers’ head coaching search,” NBA insider Shams Charania said on FanDuel’s Run it Back show. “JJ Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell — the lead initial targets. LeBron James had made it clear that this is the organization’s decision. He’s had no conversations with the Lakers about JJ Redick, his podcast partner. He’s had no conversations with JJ about that position as well.
“I did speak to Rich Paul this morning, he said, ‘LeBron James and JJ Redick, they do a podcast together, that does not mean that he wants JJ Redick as his head coach.’ But he’s leaving it up to the organization; we’ll see what LeBron James decides for his future. I’m told he’s expected to play up to two more NBA seasons.
“The bottom line with LeBron James is this — if he was making the decisions for the Lakers, Ty Lue would’ve been the head coach in 2019. Kyrie Irving would be his point guard if he was running the team if he was making the decisions…”
So there you have it: if James’ podcast partner gets the head coaching gig, he apparently has nothing to do with it.
[Run It Back on X]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.