After firing Darvin Ham following the Los Angeles Lakers’ Western Conference semifinal exit in the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Lakers elected to hire 15-year NBA veteran and popular media personality, JJ Redick. Redick, who currently serves as an on-air broadcaster for ESPN and host for The Old Man and the Three podcast, has yet to coach at the professional level, but it’s clear that the Lakers value the high-level basketball intelligence that Redick will bring to the organization.
During his introductory press conference on Monday, Redick provided the media with an interesting answer to a question pertaining to the outside noise surrounding his hiring. In a calm demeanor, Redick stated that “It’s a valid question and I’ve certainly heard everything. It’s been a really interesting, uh, six weeks or so. Just in terms of being part of the engagement farming industry, it’s been really interesting. However, I don’t really have a great answer for your question because I really don’t give a [expletive]. I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dispel anything. I don’t. I want to become a great coach in the NBA. And I want to win championships. And I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s all I [expletive] care about.”
So there you have it, while we don’t know how Redick will fare as an NBA coach in a big market organization, Redick made it known that winning is at the top of his coaching to-do list. As long as he vows to utilize a hands on approach from day 1 and behave like the man in charge as opposed to a random spectator (sorry Darvin Ham), he’ll earn his players’ respect from the get-go and give himself a great chance to be successful in Los Angeles.
