Is JJ Redick the next Pat Riley? Why Lakers believe former NBA player has potential of legendary head coach | Sporting News Australia

After plenty of rumors and speculation, JJ Redick has been tabbed as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Redick, 39, retired from the NBA in 2021 and becomes the Lakers leading voice after spending three seasons in the media as a podcaster and an analyst for ESPN’s basketball coverage. And while the leap from the media into coaching isn’t unprecedented, a leap of Redick’s magnitude is quite rare.

With Redick set to lead one of the biggest franchises in professional sports, it’s hard not to draw parallels to Pat Riley, who jumped from broadcasting to become one of the greatest coaches and executives in NBA history. Like Redick, Riley’s coaching career began with the Lakers, but there are some fundamental differences in their paths.

Here’s how Redick’s foray into coaching compares to and contrasts with Riley’s.

MORE: A complete timeline of LeBron James’ head coaches

Is JJ Redick the next Pat Riley?

While Riley’s standing as one of the greatest coaches in professional sports makes him a lofty comparison, Redick’s path into coaching is a great starting point.

Redick is unique in that his time in the media space began before his playing career ended. In 2016, Redick launched a podcast before launching his own media company in 2020 — over a year before announcing his retirement from the NBA.

After retiring in 2021, Redick became an analyst for ESPN, appearing on studio shows before providing color commentary for games. After Doc Rivers’ return to coaching in 2024, Redick was moved to ESPN’s lead broadcast crew, placing him on the call for the 2024 NBA Finals.

Redick goes from calling games in the NBA Finals to being tasked with leading LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the NBA Finals.

Riley, the seventh overall pick in the 1967 NBA Draft, enjoyed a nine-year career before retiring in 1976. After a year away, Riley was hired as a broadcaster for the Lakers, with whom he spent five seasons as a player.

After beginning the 1979-80 seasons in a broadcasting role, Riley was hired as an assistant coach with the Lakers as part of the fallout from a coaching shuffle that saw Paul Westhead promoted to head coach to take over for Jack McKinney, who nearly died in a bicycle accident.

Riley would spend two full seasons as an assistant coach before Westhead was fired, prompting owner Jerry Buss to promote Riley to interim head coach after a bizarre dynamic with Jerry West, who did not want head coach duties.

MORE: Did Lakers owner Jerry Buss really hire two head coaches?

Despite taking over 11 games into the season, 36-year-old Riley led the Lakers to an NBA title in his first season as head coach. He would lead the franchise to three more titles in the decade before moving on to New York in 1991 and Miami in 1995.

Riley led the Heat to their first-ever NBA title in 2006 and is entering his 30th season as an executive with the franchise.

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JJ Redick vs. Pat Riley: Path to becoming Lakers head coach

Redick and Riley played under Hall of Fame head coaches at blue blood universities: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp. After fruitful college careers, both were first-round picks in the NBA Draft and enjoyed successful careers as complementary players alongside stars.

JJ Redick vs. Pat Riley: Career timelines

In addition to playing under legendary coaches in college and fortifying their knowledge of the game during their NBA careers, both Redick and Riley put their basketball IQ on full display while in the media before using their voice as head coaches.

JJ Redick

Pat Riley