JJ Redick acknowledges inexperience, shares vision for Lakersc https://t.co/eLeYf6hIUT
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 25, 2024
JJ Redick was introduced as the Los Angeles Lakers’ coach Monday and the recent podcast host and NBA television analyst was quick to address the most glaring omission on his résumé.
“I have never coached in the NBA before,” Redick said. “I don’t know if you guys have heard that.”
Redick, whose first day on the job coincided with his 40th birthday, retired from a 15-year playing career in 2021. After starring at Duke University and scoring the 20th-most 3-pointers in NBA history, he stayed connected to basketball through various media outlets, including co-hosting a podcast with LeBron James, “Mind the Game,” and calling the NBA Finals for ESPN and ABC.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka countered by saying that “NBA head-coaching experience and NBA experience aren’t mutually exclusive things,” and praised the former shooting guard as someone who can be innovative, not just on the sidelines, but in shaping the entire organization.
“I think in industry in general and in sports in specific, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in patterns of being in a sea of sameness and doing the same thing that everybody else is doing,” said Pelinka, who sat next to Redick during the news conference. “But when we embarked on this search, it was really important for us to see if we could do something a little bit different. And quickly in our conversations with JJ, it was very evident that he had a unique perspective and philosophy on basketball and how it’s to be taught.”
Redick agreed to a four-year contract last week, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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