Is JJ Redick the next Pat Riley? Why Lakers believe former NBA player has potential of legendary head coach

Gilbert McGregor

Is JJ Redick the next Pat Riley? Why Lakers believe former NBA player has potential of legendary head coach image

After plenty of rumors and speculation, JJ Redick has been tabbed as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Redick, 39, retired from the NBA in 2021 and becomes the Lakers leading voice after spending three seasons in the media as a podcaster and an analyst for ESPN's basketball coverage. And while the leap from the media into coaching isn't unprecedented, a leap of Redick's magnitude is quite rare.

With Redick set to lead one of the biggest franchises in professional sports, it's hard not to draw parallels to Pat Riley, who jumped from broadcasting to become one of the greatest coaches and executives in NBA history. Like Redick, Riley's coaching career began with the Lakers, but there are some fundamental differences in their paths.

Here's how Redick's foray into coaching compares to and contrasts with Riley's.

LAKERS HIRE JJ REDICK

Is JJ Redick the next Pat Riley?

While Riley's standing as one of the greatest coaches in professional sports makes him a lofty comparison, Redick's path into coaching is a great starting point.

Redick is unique in that his time in the media space began before his playing career ended. In 2016, Redick launched a podcast before launching his own media company in 2020 — over a year before announcing his retirement from the NBA.

After retiring in 2021, Redick became an analyst for ESPN, appearing on studio shows before providing color commentary for games. After Doc Rivers' return to coaching in 2024, Redick was moved to ESPN's lead broadcast crew, placing him on the call for the 2024 NBA Finals.

Redick goes from calling games in the NBA Finals to being tasked with leading LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the NBA Finals.

Riley, the seventh overall pick in the 1967 NBA Draft, enjoyed a nine-year career before retiring in 1976. After a year away, Riley was hired as a broadcaster for the Lakers, with whom he spent five seasons as a player.

After beginning the 1979-80 seasons in a broadcasting role, Riley was hired as an assistant coach with the Lakers as part of the fallout from a coaching shuffle that saw Paul Westhead promoted to head coach to take over for Jack McKinney, who nearly died in a bicycle accident.

Riley would spend two full seasons as an assistant coach before Westhead was fired, prompting owner Jerry Buss to promote Riley to interim head coach after a bizarre dynamic with Jerry West, who did not want head coach duties.

MORE: Did Lakers owner Jerry Buss really hire two head coaches?

Despite taking over 11 games into the season, 36-year-old Riley led the Lakers to an NBA title in his first season as head coach. He would lead the franchise to three more titles in the decade before moving on to New York in 1991 and Miami in 1995.

Riley led the Heat to their first-ever NBA title in 2006 and is entering his 30th season as an executive with the franchise.

MORE: What LeBron James has said about his future as a Laker

JJ Redick vs. Pat Riley: Path to becoming Lakers head coach

Redick and Riley played under Hall of Fame head coaches at blue blood universities: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky's Adolph Rupp. After fruitful college careers, both were first-round picks in the NBA Draft and enjoyed successful careers as complementary players alongside stars.

 JJ RedickPat Riley
CollegeDukeKentucky
NBA Draft2006: 1st round, 11th pick1967: 1st round, 7th pick
NBA playing career2006-2021 (940 games)1967-1976 (528 games)
Years as broadcaster2021-24 (3)1977-79 (2)
Years as assistant coach01979-1981 (2)
Age when hired as Lakers head coach3936

JJ Redick vs. Pat Riley: Career timelines

In addition to playing under legendary coaches in college and fortifying their knowledge of the game during their NBA careers, both Redick and Riley put their basketball IQ on full display while in the media before using their voice as head coaches.

JJ Redick

 RoleYears
Orlando MagicPlayer2006-2013
Milwaukee BucksPlayer2013
LA ClippersPlayer2013-17
Yahoo!Podcaster2016-17
Philadelphia 76ersPlayer2017-19
The RingerPodcaster2017-20
New Orleans PelicansPlayer2019-2021
ThreeFourTwo ProductionsPodcaster2020-Present
Dallas MavericksPlayer2021
ESPNAnalyst2021-2024

Pat Riley

 RoleYears
San Diego RocketsPlayer1967-1970
Los Angeles LakersPlayer1970-75
Phoenix SunsPlayer1975-76
Los Angeles LakersAnalyst1977-79
Los Angeles LakersAssistant Coach1979-1981
Los Angeles LakersHead Coach1981-1990
New York KnicksHead Coach1991-95
Miami HeatHead Coach/President1995-2003, 2005-08
Miami HeatPresident2004, 2008-Present

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.