- The LA Lakers fired Darvin Ham after losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games
- The Lakers have struggled to keep a coach for more than three years since 2011.
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
The Los Angeles Lakers are intrigued by the idea of hiring former NBA guard and ESPN analyst JJ Redick to fill their head coaching vacancy despite his lack of coaching experience.
After being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in a gentlemanly sweep in the first round, the Lakers said goodbye to former coach Darvin Ham, leaving them searching for candidates to lead the front office next season.
On Saturday, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said his colleague has caught the attention of the Lakers front office as his search continues.
“Rob Pelinka (and) the Lakers front office will be in Chicago for the league’s draft combine,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown. “You hope they start asking for permission to talk to coaches and assistants around the league.
“But there is one name the Lakers have been delving into in their initial research here: JJ Redick, our colleague at ESPN,” Wojnarowski continued. “He’s certainly someone that intrigues the Lakers. They’ve been making a lot of calls to try to find out more about him. But hopefully this will be a long and broad search.”
Los Angeles intrigued by JJ Redick’s candidacy for head coaching job
The Lakers were recently eliminated in the first round after losing to Denver in five games.
Coach Darvin Ham was fired after they lost to the Nuggets for the second straight year.
Aside from not having any coaching experience, Redick isn’t too far removed from his playing days.
Before retiring three years ago, Redick began his 15-year NBA career with the Magic after being selected out of Duke with the 11th overall pick in 2006.
After seven years in Orlando, the sharpshooter spent stints with the Clippers, 76ers and Pelicans before beginning his career with the Mavericks, where he played for one season. Redick was a Top 20 Most Improved Player candidate in 2010 and Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 and 2013.
Over his career, Redick averaged 12.8 points on 44.7 percent shooting.
After 15 seasons in the NBA, Reddick ended his career in 2021 and entered the world of media.
Redick’s potential hiring comes after he and James started their Mind the Game podcast.
After his retirement, Redick showed off much of his basketball IQ as an ESPN analyst. He also immersed himself in podcasting, including his new podcast Mind The Game with Lakers star LeBron James.
Ham was fired after two seasons in charge. The purple and gold have struggled to find a long-term coach, as none have lasted more than three seasons since Phil Jackson held the job from 1999-2011 and brought two titles to the City of Angels.
In addition to Redick, the Lakers are considering Kenny Atkinson, David Adelman, James Borrego and Micah Nori for the job.
