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The Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick as their new head coach last summer after firing Darvin Ham, who coached the team for two seasons.
Redick played 15 years in the NBA and had two successful podcasts, "The Old Man and the Three" and "Mind the Game."
Redick and Lakers superstar LeBron James were podcast partners on "Mind the Game." After Redick took the Los Angeles job, Hall of Famer Steve Nash replaced him on "Mind the Game."
The Lakers won 50 games this season under Redick. They were the third seed in the Western Conference and appeared primed to compete for the championship with James and Luka Doncic leading the way.
However, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in five games.
James, 40, is expected to pick up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers. The NBA icon recently told The Hollywood Reporter that Redick is "always super-duper-crazy prepared."
"So when I had this season one with JJ, the one thing is that he was always super-duper-crazy prepared," James said. "And it makes sense why he is the coach that he is now. My one year that I’ve had with him so far, you see how incredibly prepared he is. It doesn’t matter if it’s broadcasting [or] if it’s podcasting or coaching.
"You could see it all translate to one another where it comes to being prepared — the preparation that he takes into it."
The Lakers were 19th in the NBA in points per game, 10th in points per game allowed, 12th in offensive rating, 15th in defensive rating and 14th in net rating under Redick this season.
It will be fascinating to see how James, Doncic, Redick and the Lakers fare in 2025-26.
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- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
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Lakers' Luka Doncic Reveals to Slovenian Media What Was 'Hard' About Weight Loss
It's a pretty nifty narrative. Lakers star Luka Doncic was traded by the team that drafted him, the Mavericks, back in February, and soon after, word leaks out as to why Dallas decided to send away Doncic, the superstar who had led them to the NBA Finals just a year earlier. The reason was no secret: The Mavericks were worried about Doncic's weight and conditioning and whether he could stay healthy, long-term. So what does Doncic do? Within six months of the trade, he is on the cover of Men's Health magazine, svelte and strong, appearing to be in the best shape of his life. The accompanying article insists that yes, Doncic is in the best shape of his life. And that's the narrative--the Mavs traded him to the Lakers because Doncic was too out of shape, and he used that to fuel himself into this new version of Skinny Luka, as the ultimate way to retaliate against the Mavericks. There's more to it, though. Lakers Eliminated, Attention Shifted After the Lakers were surprisingly eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Doncic decided to take time away from basketball and get right to getting into better shape. That took some getting used to, but Doncic made the adjustment. "I know how much basketball means to me. It has given me a lot in my life," Doncic told reporters per Slovenia's Svet24. "But I also like to play other sports. The first three or four days were hard for me without basketball, but then I just got used to it." He admitted, though, that the training program he adopted this season was harder than ones he'd had in the past. Doncic was asked what was difficult about it. "At first, basically everything, but it's a matter of habit. After I got used to it, nothing was particularly difficult," he said. Luka Doncic: Conditioning Was Never About Mavericks The one problem with the narrative about Doncic's conditioning motivation is that it's not quite true. Doncic was not suddenly kicked into gear on his conditioning because the Mavericks traded him. This has actually been part of a lengthy process that simply had to take a back seat last summer, when the Mavericks played into the NBA Finals, and Doncic had to turn around and prepare for the Paris Olympics shortly thereafter. Doncic did try to explain this in the Men's Health story, but it went largely overlooked because ... well, people prefer the narrative to the reality. But, speaking to Slovenian reporters after practicing with the national team this week, Doncic reiterated the truth about his weight loss. It had nothing to do with the Mavericks, he insisted. "I get this question all the time," "I think I was a good player before. What drove me? Basically, we made a slightly different training plan. Well, I had a little more time. Last summer it was really tiring, I played until June, then the national team, so there was no energy. I had more time this year." Doncic and Slovenia will open the team's training games on Friday when they face Germany as they gear up for the start of EuroBasket.
Jalen Milroe surges past former NFL starter on first Seattle Seahawks depth chart
Despite being viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe ended up sliding into the third round. The 22-year-old — who was the starter for Alabama for two seasons — was selected with the No. 92 pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Although every player's dream is to go in the first round, Milroe likely couldn't have gone to a better situation. There is virtually no pressure on him as the Seahawks signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract this offseason, and they also have Drew Lock, who has started 28 career games on the roster as well. However, based on ESPN's initial depth chart, Milroe may be climbing the depth chart sooner than most expected. Seattle Seahawks depth chart As reported by ESPN, the Seahawks depth chart goes as follows: QB1: Sam Darnold QB2 Jalen Milroe QB3 Drew Lock If this truly ends up being the case, Milroe has taken major strides following his final season at Alabama. During his last year in Tuscaloosa, Milroe was criticized heavily for forcing passes into windows that weren't there after being late on reads. In his final season at Alabama, Milroe threw a career-high 11 interceptions to just 16 touchdowns, an increase of five more interceptions than he threw in 2023. Although training camp is still ongoing and the preseason games have yet to be played, clearly, Milroe is finding some success in the Pacific Northwest.
Complete Recap Raiders vs. Seahawks: Good, Bad, Ugly
SEATTLE, Wash.—The Las Vegas Raiders returned Pete Carroll to the Pacific Northwest at beautiful Lumen Field tonight, but it wasn’t the outcome the future Hall of Fame head coach desired. The Raiders completed their first preseason game of the year with a 23-23 tie. It was a typical first preseason game for both teams in which they looked sloppy, made plenty of mistakes, but also gave their respective fan bases some things to cheer about. Pete Carroll was encouraged by his team competing to the very end. The Good Rookie quarterback Cam Miller had an impressive performance as he transitions from FCS to the NFL. Although it's worth noting that he wasn't facing the Seattle Seahawks' starting lineup, or even most of their second team, Miller completed six of seven passes for 76 yards and threw one touchdown, achieving an outstanding rating of 151.5. How big is the transition from FCS to the NFL? He mentioned in the locker room that he had never needed to use a silent snap count in college. Isaiah Pola-Mao (IPM), the emerging star, made a terrific interception early in the game against a strong group of Seahawks players. I believed that when he arrived as an undrafted free agent, he would need some time to develop, but that he had the potential to play at this level. So far, he has done nothing to change that opinion. I think he is a year away from reaching his full potential, but I expect him to become a Pro Bowl-caliber starter by 2026. Thomas Booker, a third-year defensive tackle from Stanford, delivered his best performance of the preseason tonight. He showcased impressive motor and mobility, making a strong statement on the field. He ended the game with four tackles but played a significant role in several other plays as well. The phrase "Can’t keep a good man down" perfectly describes sophomore running back Dylan Laube's journey. At the start of camp, there was speculation that if rookie Tommy Mellott could successfully transition to the role, Laube might be left behind. However, Laube has stepped up impressively, excelling on special teams and delivering a remarkable performance on offense. He recorded four rushes for 31 yards, one catch for six yards, and scored one touchdown. The Bad Wide receiver Alex Bachman has had one of the best preseasons of anyone on the team, earning a spot on the 53-man roster. However, a non-contact injury late in the first half raised concerns. During the game, he recorded two catches for 36 yards, but another impressive catch that gained significant yardage was nullified by a penalty committed by rookie offensive tackle Charles Grant. Carroll said afterward, when I asked about Bachman, that he had been hurt earlier in camp, but did return. The Ugly Aidan O’Connell, in the first half, had a challenging performance. He underthrew a deep ball intended for an open Dont’e Thornton, leading to an interception. Later, he was baited into making another poor throw, resulting in his second turnover of the game. Describing O'Connell's performance in the first half as disappointing would be an understatement; it was nothing short of ugly. He was 9/18, for 114 yards and had an abysmal rating of 30.6 to end the first half. Credit the Raiders and AOC. I didn't think they would keep AOC in to start the 2nd half. They did, and he immediately rewarded them with a TD drive, culminating in a TD pass to Dylan Laube—an enormous confidence builder for AOC. He finished the night 18/30, for 205 yards. His rating rose to 63.9. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and talk to us in 2025 about the Raiders and more. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss all Raiders content in 2025.
Three takeaways from Raiders’ preseason tie against the Seahawks
SEATTLE—It was a mixed bag of tricks for the first Las Vegas Raiders game in about seven months. On Thursday, the Raiders launched a comeback bid against the Seattle Seahawks to finish their first preseason game with a 23-23 tie. Both team starts out their preseason slates with a 0-0-1 record, with each having something to work on heading into next weekend. Here are some major takeaways to come from the Raiders’ side of the equation. Jeanty posts forgettable debut Ashton Jeanty did not get much playing time as expected, but it was not the first impression he wanted to make for the Raiders. On three carries, the sixth overall pick managed to pick up -1 rushing yards. It was hard for him to find room, as the Seahawks defensive front swarmed him at every turn. It was just a preseason game that has little effect on the season, but Jeanty struggling like this could pose a problem for a Raiders team desperate for him to solve their rushing woes. QB2 heating up In the battle to be Geno Smith’s backup, the edge in the first preseason game went firmly to sixth-round rookie Cam Miller over Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell’s day was not without positives, but a couple of second quarter interceptions derailed momentum on some drives. When Miller came in for the fourth quarter, however, he rallied the Raiders from down ten points with a pair of scoring drives, including a beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass to Shedrick Jackson. It would not be surprising to see Miller get more reps throughout the rest of the offseason to see if he can capitalize on the momentum. Clutch defensive play After tying the game, the Raiders had to stop Jalen Milroe and the Seahawks from going down the field. On third down, the Raiders finally managed to get their first sack of the day from Treven Ma’ae. It was the first major play the defense made all game, giving the Raiders serious momentum for their final drive. Unfortunately, they could not finish off the Seahawks in the end, as they blocked a 55-yard field goal attempt from Daniel Carlson to clinch the tie.
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