NBA World Reacts to JJ Redick Becoming Lakers' Next Head Coach

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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What might have been the biggest question of the NBA offseason was answered on Thursday afternoon: JJ Redick is the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach.

Redick and the Lakers reportedly agreed to a four-year contract worth over $8 million per season on Thursday.

Redick’s hiring ends months of speculation surrounding the Lakers’ head coach vacancy and adds an exciting wrinkle into the ongoing media war between ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Wojnarowski previously reported that UConn’s Dan Hurley was the Lakers’ top pick for the head coaching job, but Hurley ended up turning down the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million contract offer.

The 39-year-old Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran, popular podcaster and former ESPN analyst, is now set to start the first coaching gig of his career. 

The NBA world reacted to the news with plenty of congratulations in store for Redick, as well as some light-hearted jokes sprinkled in between.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.