Former Sixer Addresses Major Report Regarding Lakers Job

What's going on with JJ Redick and the Lakers head coaching job? The former Philadelphia 76ers guard speaks out.

May 9, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts with guard JJ Redick (right) after defeating the Toronto Raptors in game six of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports / James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be targeting former Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick to potentially fill their head coaching vacancy.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Lakers are “zeroing in” on the retired sharpshooter, pegging him as the frontrunner for the job.

While Redick has been described as the favorite over the last couple of weeks, the latest is development suggested that it might not be a matter of if, just a matter of when the Lakers announce Redick as the franchise’s newest head coach.

Not long after the report went viral, Redick fielded a question about the speculation. He made it clear that his broadcast job is where he’s keeping his focus for the time being.

"My focus is on the NBA Finals,” Redick said on Gojo and Golic. “In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I'll just say that."

The Lakers' search for a new head coach took a wild turn on Thursday morning. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, LA is preparing to offer a "massive" contract to a candidate, and it's not Redick. Instead, the Lakers reportedly plan to bring on Connecticut’s Dan Hurley.

At UConn, Hurley held a 141-58 record. Overall, he’s 292-163 at the NCAA level. While he doesn’t have coaching experience at the professional level under his belt, he’s been at the NCAA level since 2010.

For Redick, replacing Darvin Ham would've marked the first time he held a coaching job in the professional space. Handing over the keys to a playoff contender to a rookie head coach is certainly a major gamble, but Redick’s experience as a player could've certainly been a major help.

In 2006, Redick joined the Orlando Magic as the 11th overall pick out of Duke. He spent the first seven seasons of his career playing for the Orlando Magic. After a 28-game run with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, Redick joined the LA Clippers for four years.

The 2017 offseason is when Redick landed on the 76ers. Although his run in Philly would last just two seasons, he made a major impact in such a short amount of time. Not only was Redick productive, averaging a career-high 18 points while shooting threes at a 40 percent clip, but he was a much-needed veteran leader for a young and emerging playoff contender.

Apr 29, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick (17) dribbles the ball past Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the third quarter in game two of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports / Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Redick finished his career with runs on the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks. After the 2020-2021 season, he called it a career and entered the media space as a broadcaster and analyst while keeping up with the podcast he started during his playing days.

Soon, Redick could be back on the sidelines coaching a team, as he's gained interest from several teams over the last two offseasons. While it seemed he was on his way to take over the Lakers' job, LA is moving in a different direction.