The Lakers have reportedly narrowed their head coaching search to two finalists — former player and current broadcaster J.J. Redick, left, and New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego, right. (Photos by Getty Images)
Retired player-turned-broadcaster JJ Redick is considered the frontrunner for the Lakers’ vacant head coaching job, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.
While the organization still has steps to take in its ongoing coaching search, the Lakers’ coaching job appears to be Redick’s to lose.
The Lakers have met with and interviewed several candidates over the last few weeks, including Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
But the report stated that the Lakers’ search is focused on two candidates: Redick and New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego.
Borrego had his second in-person interview with Lakers officials last week.
Redick is a color commentator for ABC’s broadcast of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, which start Thursday night in Boston.
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, isn’t until June 14. If necessary, Game 5 would be played on June 17, 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.
But he’s 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 podcast 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. Episode nine is being released on Wednesday.
James, who has a June 29 deadline to exercise his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, has made it clear through his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, that he won’t be involved in the team’s coaching search.
Originally published at Khobi Price