JJ Redick is headed to Los Angeles to become the next head coach of the Lakers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
That statement would have been a shocking surprise at the start of the 2023-24 season but rumors started to heat up as soon as Los Angeles fired Darvin Ham after its first-round playoff exit.
Redick has no previous NBA coaching experience but has established himself as one of the smartest minds in basketball over the last few years. In addition to his 15-year NBA playing career, he built up his resume and flexed his knowledge through his "The Old Man and the Three" podcast, his job as an analyst for ESPN and, recently, his "Mind the Game" podcast with Lakers star LeBron James.
As the leader of the Lakers, the spotlight will be as bright as can be. Is Redick ready for the job as a first-time head coach?
The Sporting News breaks down the hire below.
LAKERS HIRE JJ REDICK
- Contract details
- Is Redick the right person for LA?
- Inside Redick's 'Pat Riley-like' potential
- How Redick will change Lakers
- Redick joins Coach K's growing coaching tree
Why did the Lakers hire JJ Redick?
Despite having no previous NBA coaching experience, the Lakers felt Redick was the right person for the job.
There were plenty of assumptions that James played a role in Los Angeles hiring his friend and podcast co-host. His agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, denied those rumors on May 24.
"LeBron is not involved. ... This is a Lakers decision," Paul told Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes in an exclusive interview.
"JJ is a friend. We respect JJ. I know LeBron and JJ have the podcast. ... But just because they have a podcast—the Lakers have to make a decision for now and later. And whatever that decision is, that'll be an organizational decision. It's as simple as that."
The Lakers are trusting Redick's basketball knowledge and ability to manage personalities, leading a roster with superstars like James (assuming he opts into his player option or re-signs in Los Angeles) and Anthony Davis.
One report went as far as to say the Lakers believe Redick, 39, has "Pat Riley-like" potential.
"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,” The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha wrote on May 21 before the hiring became official.
Comparing a rookie head coach with no previous experience to one of the greatest basketball minds in the history of the sport is a bold claim, only adding to the pressure Redick will already face leading the league's most popular franchise.
This is Los Angeles' second-consecutive rookie head coaching hire, although Ham did have 11 years of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA.
JJ Redick age
Born on June 24, 1984, Redick is currently 39 years old. He will be 40 by the time he coaches his first NBA game.
Pending other offseason hires, Redick is the sixth-youngest head coach in the NBA.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla (35 years old), Jazz head coach Will Hardy (36), Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault (39), Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins (39) and Hornets head coach Charles Lee (39) are the five younger than Redick.
What NBA teams did JJ Redick play for?
Following a legendary college career at Duke where Redick earned one National Player of the Year award, two ACC Player of the Year awards and two All-American honors, he was taken by the Magic with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
Redick played for six different teams throughout his solid 15-year NBA career. He spent the first six-and-a-half seasons with the Magic before being traded to the Bucks. After finishing the season in Milwaukee, Redick was traded to the Clippers where he spent the next four years of his career.
Redick bounced around at the end of his career, playing two seasons for the 76ers, one-and-a-half seasons with the Pelicans and a half-season with the Mavericks.
- Magic: 2006-2013
- Bucks: 2013
- Clippers: 2013-17
- 76ers: 2017-19
- Pelicans: 2019-2021
- Mavericks: 2021
JJ Redick career stats
Redick averaged 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over his 15-year career. His best seasons came from 2013-20, where he had a seven-year stretch of averaging at least 15.0 points per game.
Redick led the entire NBA in 3-point percentage in 2015-16 with the Clippers, posting 16.3 points and 2.7 3-pointers per game at a 47.5 percent clip. His highest point-per-game average was 18.1 with the 76ers in 2018-19.
Redick's 41.5 career 3-point percentage is good for 18th-best in NBA history. That is higher than known snipers like Klay Thompson (41.3 percent) and Ray Allen (40.0 percent).
JJ Redick career earnings
Redick earned $117.91 million in NBA contracts over 15 seasons, per Basketball-Reference.
Redick's biggest deals were a one-year, $23 million contract with the 76ers in 2017, a two-year, $26.5 million contract with the Pelicans in 2019 and a four-year, $27 million contract with the Clippers in 2013.
