A number of TV analysts have made the jump to coaching. ESPN's JJ Redick could be the next.
A report from Sportsnet's Michael Grange linked Redick with the Raptors head coaching vacancy, listing him along with several other candidates including Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.
On Wednesday, it was then reported Redick had interviewed with the Raptors for the position.
Fifteen-year NBA veteran and ESPN analyst JJ Redick has interviewed for the Toronto Raptors’ coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Redick was part of a first-round of candidates to meet with franchise leadership.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 10, 2023
It has not been long since the end of Redick's NBA career. He last played at the end of the 2020-21 season for the Mavericks, before announcing at the start of the following season that he would be retiring from the NBA.
Before the end of his playing days, Redick started a podcast on Yahoo Sports and later founded his own media company. When he retired, he was hired by ESPN to be an analyst, appearing on a number of programs, including "First Take," and has been an occasional color commentator for games.
Here's what you need to know about the Redick-to-Raptors rumor.
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JJ Redick coaching rumors
Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported on Tuesday that there were a number of candidates the Raptors will consider for their head coaching vacancy. Hammon was listed as one of the top options for the position, along with several other current or former assistants.
But Grange also noted there were a few wild cards that could find themselves in the mix. One was Casey, who was Toronto's head coach from 2011-18, and who was just moved from being the Pistons' head coach to a front office role. Casey was fired by the Raptors after the same season he was named NBA Coach of the Year.
The other wild card Grange mentioned was Redick, who has no NBA or collegiate coaching experience.
Grange wrote that a source suggested the team would look into Redick, "who has spoken openly about the possibility of getting into coaching — as being head coach material."
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Redick has had his name come up in coaching circles plenty of times before. Back in December 2022, in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, he said he was offered by the Celtics to join the staff of interim coach Joe Mazzulla.
He explained that someone was suspended shortly before the start of training camp and that since most coaches already had a job, Boston had a need for an assistant coach on Mazzulla's squad. After talking with Muzzulla and president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, Redick ultimately decided to pass on the offer.
"Life is about timing," Redick said. "I would love to coach at some point. I don't feel like the timing is right right now."
Talking with Esquire, Redick said he has been told by multiple coaches throughout his playing days that he seemed likely to become a head coach at some point in his post-playing career. He originally said he didn't think he would do it, but in the spring of 2022, he began to change his mind on the idea.
Though Redick had thought of himself more in the front office of a club, he said there was "something about being in the action" that would draw him to coaching.
I think it probably started around the time I started calling games. Because you're back. You're a part of the experience. You're a part of the game. For me, that was probably the trigger point. Then I got randomly four unsolicited, "Do you want to coach? Do you want to join the staff?" [messages] from different teams. And truthfully, I considered two of them. Not just the Celtics—sorry, I considered another one. I just didn't feel like the timing was right. Maybe the timing will never be right. And maybe the media stuff ends up being a 20-to-30-year thing. I just know that what I'm doing right now feels like the right thing.
History of analysts to head coach
Countless players go on to become basketball analysts. Not many of them then make the transition to coaching. But there have been a few that have made the move.
The most notable early example was Pat Riley, who upon retiring from the NBA as a player, became a broadcaster for the team. But in 1979, an injury to Jack McKinney forced Paul Westhead to take over as interim head coach, and he brought Riley on board as an assistant coach. Riley became the Lakers head coach in the 1981-82 season.
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There have been several others in the NBA that have made the transition. Doc Rivers had worked for Turner Broadcasting before he was hired by the Magic in 1999. Mark Jackson had worked for the YES Network before the Warriors made him their head coach in 2011. The Warriors' current head coach, Steve Kerr, had also worked for TNT before becoming an executive for the Suns and then later being named the Warriors' head coach in 2014.
The transition has also been made a few times in other sports. Former Yankee outfielder Aaron Boone was a commentator for ESPN following his playing days until he was hired to be the manager of his former team in 2018. Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday had also been on ESPN as an analyst, but when Frank Reich was fired as Indianapolis' head coach in 2022, Saturday was named the interim head coach.
