At the end of July last year, ESPN made the announcement that Doc Rivers and Doris Burke would team with Mike Breen as the lead NBA broadcast team. The two would replace Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy who were both let go. While there might have been other factors involved, some said Van Gundy’s exit was partially because ESPN was concerned he had a strong desire to return to coaching. Since that time, Rivers has left to become the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and his replacement, JJ Redick is now set to be named the head coach of the LA Lakers.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Redick and the team have reached agreement on a four-year contract. Wojnarowski reports the analyst and podcaster met with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka over the weekend and talks continued until the job was offered and accepted this morning.
One of the podcasts Redick has been hosting, Mind the Game, is co-hosted by Lakers star LeBron James. James is expected to decline his player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, however one would assume it is now likely he will sign a new deal with the team.
Redick played 15 years in the NBA, mostly for the Orlando Magic, the LA Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Redick has never coached high level basketball before.