The Los Angeles Lakers have extended head coach JJ Redick.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka casually dropped the news as he ran down the team’s achievements this off-season, which includes signing Luka Doncic to a 3-year, $165 million extension and adding DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.
The former NBA player turned podcaster and LeBron flunkie, partnered with James on the Mind Games, er, Mind the Game podcast. The show was billed as breaking down and educating the fans on the game of basketball, but served as an extended demo tape to position Redick as a viable candidate for the Lakers job, which at the time of the show’s March 19, 2024 debut, was still filled by Darvin Ham.
PHam was fired May 3, 2024 and on June 24, 2024 the Lakers hired the podcaster as head coach, signing a four-year deal. In his first season the Lakers went 50-32 earning the no.3 seed in the Western Conference, but was bounced 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When asked why he extended Redick after just one year ( and who reached the exact same point as the coach whom the team unceremoniously sent packing) Pelinka responded with “confidence and belief.”
Pelinka added “We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us to continue to define the culture of Lakers excellence, and we just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.”
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The Lakers tip off their second season under Redick with a preseason matchup against the Phoenix Suns Friday, October 3.
