The Los Angeles Lakers have signed former NBA player and current ESPN NBA analyst JJ Redick as their new head coach on a four-year contract. Redick, who retired in 2021 after a 15-season NBA career, will be looking to assemble an experienced coaching staff to support him in his new role.
Although Redick has no previous coaching experience, he transitioned to an analyst role for ESPN soon after retiring and was the lead analyst for the 2024 NBA Finals on ABC. He also co-hosts the podcast “Mind the Game” with Lakers star LeBron James, which debuted three months ago.
The Lakers sought a new head coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham in early May. Ham, who spent two seasons with the Lakers, led the team to a 90-74 record, two playoff appearances, a Western Conference Finals run in 2023, and a championship in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. However, the team had a disappointing 47-35 season in 2023-24, culminating in a first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.
ESPN Sources: JJ Redick has agreed on a four-year contract to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka offered job this morning and Redick’s started working on a staff to surround himself with experience. pic.twitter.com/G66eVFRALp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2024
Quick story on the Lakers coaching search ending where a lot of people believed it started https://t.co/0zEcR5qpl2 https://t.co/ymebSIU771
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 20, 2024
Looking ahead, the Lakers hold the No. 17 and No. 55 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, with Redick expected to have significant input on these selections. The team aims to infuse youth into a roster that includes LeBron James, who was the oldest player in the league last season.
Despite a challenging 2023-24 season marked by injuries, inconsistent play, and mediocre defense, the Lakers’ star players, James and Anthony Davis, managed to stay relatively healthy, playing their highest number of games since the 2017-18 season. D’Angelo Russell also set a franchise record for three-pointers during the regular season.
The Lakers struggled during the holiday period, going 3-10 immediately after the In-Season Tournament, and were in the Play-In Tournament both seasons under Ham. Although Ham led the team to the postseason twice, the 2022-23 Western Conference Finals run heightened expectations for the following season.
James and Davis both have player options to consider this summer, with decisions due by June 29. The Lakers face a potentially significant roster turnover, with 11 players eligible for free agency. Core players D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt are under contract for the 2024-25 season. Since their 2020 championship win in the Florida bubble, the Lakers have failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs in three of the last four seasons.
