Most of the sports media has weighed in on the prospect of the Los Angeles Lakers hiring ESPN NBA broadcaster JJ Redick in recent months. Now that the move has become official, there is even more debate about whether the hiring will be a success or a failure.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who has been in a defacto reporting battle with Shams Charania after he previously reported that the Lakers were focusing on hiring Dan Hurley, reported on Thursday that Redick and the Lakers have agreed to a four-year deal that will make him the successor to former head coach Darvin Ham.
Naturally, this means that ESPN will need to replace Redick on their lead broadcast team for the upcoming 2024-25 season, which is a topic of its own as to who could potentially fit well alongside Doris Burke and Mike Breen.
In terms of solely Redick’s fit as the Lakers’ new head coach, there were naturally many conflicting opinions on how much success he would achieve since he has no coaching experience at any level.
Some seemingly believe that Redick may struggle, considering his lack of experience. They see this move more as the Lakers appeasing LeBron James due to the close relationship the two have built with their shared podcast.
“He has been hired with as thin of a coaching resume as any coach that’s ever taken the job in modern NBA history,” said FS1’s Nick Wright, reacting to the news on First Thing’s First. To never be a part of the NBA staff, front office… There’s nothing to judge it on other than vibes and guesses.”
“The Los Angeles Lakers hiring JJ Redick is about appeasing LeBron,” said SiriusXM radio host David Shepard. “It has NOTHING to do with winning. There are so many more qualified head coaching candidates out there that bring so much more experience and credibility to the table!”
“The problem he has is the Celtics just won their 18th banner,” said Herm Edwards on NFL Live. “The Lakers now only have 17. It’s not about winning games in Los Angeles. You gotta hang banners. When you walk into the stadium, you see all those banners hanging from the ceilings. They aren’t for winning division games; they are for winning championships.”
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Others were much more positive about Redick’s prospects in Los Angeles.
“JJ Redick should be the coach of the Lakers whether LeBron is there or not,” said ESPN’s Robert Griffin III. “Here is why. JJ Redick is a brilliant basketball-mind. He will be able to bring eyeballs to the Lakers like they always covet because people will be interested in how he is going to approach this. But I think he also has a more modern mind for how to put together a team in today’s NBA.”
“What they say doesn’t make a damn bit of a difference,” said Redick’s former college coach Mike Krzyzewski in a conversation with Fox college basketball broadcaster John Fanta. “To think any organization would hire anybody because of glamour is ridiculous.”
Ultimately, it’s difficult for anyone to predict how Redick will do given how little experience he has. But it sure should be exciting to watch for one reason or another.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.