Lakers Rumors: JJ Redick Intrigues LAL; HC Search to 'Ramp Up' This Week

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly been "drilling down" on finding out information about JJ Redick as they begin their coaching search.

"One name that the Lakers have been drilling down on in their initial research: JJ Redick. He's certainly somebody the Lakers are intrigued with," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Saturday on NBA Countdown. "They've been making a lot of calls to learn more about him. But expect this to be a wide-ranging and a lengthy search for L.A."

Redick has no professional coaching experience. He's built a career working in the media since retiring from the NBA in 2021, working at ESPN as an analyst while also building his own podcast network.

Perhaps the most important podcast in Redick's repertoire is Mind the Game with LeBron James, which is how his name became tied to the Lakers' coaching job in the first place. Redick and James clearly have a friendship and likemindedness regarding basketball that translates onto the screen.

The Charlotte Hornets previously interviewed Redick for their coaching vacancy before hiring Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee. While some have been confused at Redick's interest in coaching given his rapid rise in the media world, the former Duke star said he misses the competitiveness of playing basketball.

"What I really miss is the juice. I miss the action, I miss the competition, I miss leadership, I miss being on a team," Redick said on the Road Trippin' podcast. "In a locker room, physically in a locker room after winning a road game. You miss that stuff. There's a high that you get as an athlete that goes beyond passing and shooting and dribbling and taking a charge or dunking a basketball. Those are all these little moments of actual gameplay. It's the other moments that I feel we all miss as ex-athletes. And the part about coaching in general is the things that I miss and the things that I love doing that involves coaching. That all is part of coaching."

Redick would be a wild-card choice as the Lakers' next head coach given his inexperience in the role and the team's need to win now. James turns 40 in December, and Anthony Davis is a quiet 31 with a long injury history. There isn't any time for Redick to have growing pains as a coach, particularly in a market like Los Angeles.

That said, it's clear James respects Redick's voice and basketball acumen. As long as James falls in line, the rest of the locker room will too.