The Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for a new head coach and former Duke star JJ Redick is reportedly in the mix.
NBA insider Shams Charania posted on Twitter that Redick is among the candidates expected to be considered.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with coach Darvin Ham, and sources tell me and @jovanbuha an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others,” Shams posted.
The news about JJ Redick comes a couple of weeks after it was reported that Redick is interviewing for the Charlotte Hornets job.
In addition to starring at Duke, Redick also spent 16 seasons in the NBA. He shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range in his career, while playing for the Magic, Bucks, Clippers, 76ers, Pelicans and Mavericks.
JJ Redick is currently a successful NBA analyst, broadcaster and podcaster. He has spoken in the past about having a desire to get into coaching eventually.
“You certainly miss the competitive side of professional basketball when you retire, and that’s probably the biggest itch,” Redick told Dan Patrick about potentially coaching last May. “I’m loving what I’m doing right now and I am in a very fortunate situation that I can kind of wait and just see if there’s anything that materializes that’s sort of a perfect fit.”
Redick’s media career has blossomed as he has become an emerging voice in the NBA space after launching podcasts on Yahoo! Sports, Uninterrupted, and The Ringer, before starting his own media company. He currently hosts ‘The Old Man and the Three‘ with Tommy Alter under ThreeFourTwo Productions and also recently launched ‘Mind the Game‘ alongside LeBron James.
Redick also serves as an on-air analyst for ESPN, spending time as a guest on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and on the broadcast team of ESPN’s NBA coverage. He moved to the network’s lead team alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke to replace Doc Rivers after he became head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in February.
At Duke, Redick was the 2006 National Player of the Year, a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American and a two-time ACC Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer before being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
In the NBA, Redick scored 12,028 points between his time with six different organizations. He was regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the league during his playing days.
“I’ve talked with teams now going on a year about assistant jobs and I’m interested in being a head coach. I don’t have to start as a head coach, I don’t have to start as an assistant, doesn’t matter to me. It’s more just about the fit and the people that are at the organization,” Redick also said to Patrick last year.
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