After 1½ months of searching, including a couple of twists, the Lakers have found their new head coach – a former player-turned-broadcaster who doesn’t have any previous head coaching experience.

The Lakers will hire JJ Redick as their new head coach, which was first reported by ESPN on Thursday, adding that Redick agreed to a four-year deal.

The 39-year-old former Duke star and 15-year NBA veteran will be the franchise’s seventh full-time head coach in 13 years (eighth including Bernie Bickerstaff’s five-game stint as interim coach in 2013) and 29th overall.

With the hiring of Redick, the Lakers are hoping to accomplish two things: build off the last two seasons when they made the playoffs, including the 2023 Western Conference finals, in what’s expected to be the final couple of seasons of the LeBron James-Anthony Davis era; and have a coach in place who can have a development-focused approach in the post-James era.

ESPN reported last week that Redick had the opportunity to “move him to the forefront” of the Lakers’ coaching search with a strong interview performance on Saturday.

That’s exactly what happened, and now the Lakers have their new coach.

The Lakers’ hiring of Redick came 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 hoped 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 before the more formal and thorough interview with Pelinka and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss last weekend.

Redick was a color commentator for ABC’s broadcast of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.

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.

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 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.
Even with the messaging being that the Lakers had long-term goals with this coaching hire, Redick will face immediate pressure to win. Former coach Darvin Ham lasted just two seasons despite leading the Lakers to the playoffs in back-to-back years: a conference finals appearance last year and a first-round exit against the Denver Nuggets earlier in the spring.

Redick will inherit a roster that could resemble the one that went 47-35 in 2023-24. Seven players from last year’s team have guaranteed deals for 2024-25, not including big man Christian Wood, who’s reportedly already opted into his player option for next season. James, D’Angelo Russell, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish also have a June 29 deadline for their player options.

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“Eyes On The Skies”

“More Than An Athlete” is a new weekly column we are bringing to you. We will focus on local athletes in their off-the-field pursuits. I was always obsessed with sports growing up, it consumed everything around me. My alarm clock was when ESPN’s Sportscenter came on at 5:00am. Even though Sports consumed my life whether it was watching or playing, there was so much more to sports figures than what they did on the field/court. I spent the majority of my free time in highschool volunteering throughout the community. I helped my church feed the homeless, give out gifts to the unfortunate around christmas time, ministering in junior high youth groups, and leading christian club at my high school. As an athlete, no one ever asked me about what I participated in off the field, but rather I was Identified by my athletic achievements. In this weekly column we will highlight a local kid who is More Than An Athlete.

This week is San Jacinto Valley Academy’s own Orlando Acevedo. Orlando is an outstanding student posting a 4.0 Gpa. He plays on the varsity baseball team at his school as an outfielder and is working on getting his private flying license. Orlando loves Mathematics which coincidentally is a major subject in his future career in aviation. Orlando is a Sophomore but already has his sights set for the skies. He has been flying for three years now and is nearly ready to get his solo flying license at the age of 16. At his current rate, he will have his private license at the age of 17. His dream is to become a pilot for one of the major airliners and he hopes to be ready to do this by the age of 25 which is considered young for the industry.

Between keeping his grades high, baseball, flying, Orlando is a very busy student. He enjoys his time off by occasionally playing video games, but he doesn’t get to play as much as he would like. He also volunteers with the Hemet High Key Club feeding the homeless once a month.

Orlando studies aviation at San Jacinto Valley Academy. He is also a key member of the Aviation Club there and enjoys spending as much time in the flight simulator as allowed. Aviation isn’t just a hobby to Orlando, but rather a passion. He is off to a great start, attempting to turn his passion into a career. With a scholar like him, Sky’s the limit.

The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle will be keeping their eyes peeled on the skies in order to see where he goes!

Do you know a local Athlete in the valley who is More Than An Athlete? Email me at Kheadlee@HSJChronicle.com and tell me about them.

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