Lakers Bet Big on JJ Redick, Hiring Rookie Coach to Four-Year Deal

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired JJ Redick as their next head coach on a four-year contract, handing the 15-year NBA veteran and popular broadcaster his first coaching job and ending a weeks-long search that began with Darvin Ham’s dismissal in early May 2024. The agreement, first reported June 20, 2024, by ESPN and confirmed by multiple outlets including the Associated Press, installs Redick as the 29th head coach in franchise history and the third since LeBron James joined the organization in 2018.

Redick, 39 at the time of his hiring and now 41, arrives in Los Angeles with an unconventional résumé for a coach of a marquee franchise. A former All-American at Duke, Redick played 15 NBA seasons with six teams — most notably the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers — averaging 12.8 points and shooting 41.5% from 3-point range. After retiring in 2021, he quickly became one of the league’s most prominent media voices, working as an analyst for ESPN and co-hosting popular podcasts, including "The Old Man and the Three" and a later show with LeBron James, "Mind the Game," where the two frequently dissected schemes, spacing and decision-making at a granular level.

The Lakers’ decision followed a wide-ranging search after Ham was fired on May 3, 2024, following a first-round playoff exit to the Denver Nuggets and two seasons on the job. Los Angeles finished the 2023-24 regular season 47-35 and advanced via the play-in tournament, but persistent defensive slippage, late-game execution issues and reported strain inside the locker room undercut Ham’s position. General manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss initially explored more experienced options, including talks with UConn coach Dan Hurley that advanced far enough to involve a reported six-year, $70 million offer, according to multiple reports. Hurley ultimately chose to remain at Connecticut, and the Lakers turned back to Redick, who had interviewed earlier in the process.

Financial terms of Redick’s original deal were not made public by the team, but The Athletic reported the four-year contract is worth roughly $8 million annually. The franchise clearly doubled down on that bet: in 2025, ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Lakers quietly extended Redick by two more years through 2030 in a deal worth a reported total of about $45 million, according to league insider Shams Charania and subsequent national reports. Pelinka, speaking generally about the commitment in a 2025 media availability, framed the extension as an investment in continuity and praised Redick as a “special coach” whose voice had resonated with the locker room and aligned with the front office’s long-term vision.

On the court, Redick was hired to modernize an offense still anchored by LeBron James and Anthony Davis but plagued by streaky perimeter shooting and limited half-court creativity. His teams have leaned heavily into 3-point volume, five-out spacing and read-and-react principles, concepts he championed as a player under coaches such as Doc Rivers and Brett Brown. In his early months, Redick sought to build a staff heavy on prior bench experience, surrounding himself with veteran assistants and player-development specialists to offset his own learning curve, while emphasizing accountability and transparent communication in a locker room featuring All-Stars and young contributors fighting for roles.

The risks of the hire were apparent from the start: Redick had never served as an assistant at the NBA or college level, and the Lakers’ championship-or-bust expectations leave little margin for on-the-job training. Yet the move also underscored a broader shift in the league, where franchises increasingly value communication skills, strategic openness and comfort with analytics alongside traditional coaching pedigree. For Redick, the job represents a striking evolution from sharpshooter to podcaster to the face of one of basketball’s most scrutinized benches. For the Lakers, the four-year deal — and subsequent extension — marks a calculated gamble that an articulate, modern thinker with instant credibility among players can navigate them through the end of the LeBron era and into whatever comes next.