The Lakers will reportedly interview JJ Redick in Southern California for the organization’s head coaching vacancy this weekend.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday morning that Redick, the former player-turned-broadcaster, has the opportunity to “move him to the forefront” of the Lakers’ coaching search with a strong interview performance.
Redick’s interview will come after the organization’s failed pursuit of UConn men’s coach Dan Hurley, who turned down the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer and returned to the Huskies.
Redick was considered the frontrunner for the Lakers’ job before their pursuit of Hurley became public.
The Lakers hope to hire a coach before the NBA’s June 26-27 draft.
Redick met with Lakers VP and GM Rob Pelinka last month at the draft combine in Chicago, and is expected to have a more formal and thorough interview with Pelinka and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss this weekend.
New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego, who is also in the mix for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coaching vacancy, is reportedly the only candidate to interview with the Lakers twice. Borrego interviewed with the Lakers two weeks ago and interviewed with the Cavaliers this week.
Redick is a color commentator for ABC’s broadcast of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.
If the Lakers hire Redick, an announcement isn’t expected to be made until the series is over. Game 4, the earliest the series could end, is Friday, with the Celtics leading the series 3-0.
If necessary, Game 5 would be played on Monday, Game 6 is scheduled for June 20 and Game 7 would be on June 23.
Redick, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons (four with the Clippers) and retired in 2021, has no professional or college coaching experience, never coaching above the youth level.
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But he has interviewed for multiple head-coaching vacancies recently: the Toronto Raptors’ last offseason, which went to Darko Rajaković, and the Charlotte Hornets this spring, with Boston lead assistant Charles Lee set to join the Hornets after the conclusion of the Celtics’ playoff run.
Redick became an analyst/broadcaster for ESPN immediately after retirement and has hosted a podcasts since 2016, including, “The Old Man and the Three” which is part of the ThreeFourTwo Productions company he co-founded.
Notably, Redick has also been co-hosting a podcast, “Mind the Game”, with Lakers star LeBron James since March.