Duke basketball legend JJ Redick to become next Los Angeles Lakers head coach: ESPN sources

LOS ANGELES (WTVD) — Former Duke basketball star JJ Redick will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN.

Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Redick has agreed to a four-year contract. He said Redick accepted the job Thursday morning and has started working to build his coaching staff.

Redick, an ESPN NBA analyst who played 15 years in the league, met with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss during the weekend and conversations on the vacancy continued throughout the week, sources said.

Pelinka offered Redick the job on Thursday morning, sources said.

Pelinka became sold on Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ and believes surrounding him with an elite coaching staff will help to shorten his learning curve into his first coaching job, sources said.

Redick is not the Lakers’ first choice. The team was initially turned down by UConn head coach Dan Hurley, who coincidentally is the brother of another former Duke basketball icon, Bobby Hurley.

Redick moved into the forefront of the search after the Lakers were rebuffed by Hurley. The Lakers offered Hurley a six-year, $70 million contract that he turned down early last week, ESPN sources said.

As Pelinka did with Hurley, he still wants a teaching coach and staff who will prioritize the development of young players such as Max Christie, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura and can design a creative approach to featuring Anthony Davis on both ends of the floor, sources said.

Redick has never coached a professional basketball team. Since retiring from the NBA, Redick has had an extremely successful media career. He most recently was named as part of the ESPN/ABC lead broadcast team for the NBA Finals.