Following a successful 15-year NBA career with six different teams, J.J. Redick retired in 2021 to launch a quickly growing media career. In addition to hosting several popular podcasts, he became part of ESPN’s basketball “A-team” announcing trio alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and analyst Doris Burke, after just two seasons as an analyst.
However, a few days after the 2024 NBA Finals ended, Redick declared in June of this year that he was giving up his newfound media fame in favor of what is perhaps the most prominent and demanding coaching position in the NBA, albeit perhaps not, which is the bench position with the Los Angeles Lakers. All of this without having any coaching expertise at all.
What prompted his decision?
When asked, Redick explained, “My understanding of the modern game, my relationships with players, it just felt like the right time for me personally to move into coaching,” adding that “that’s probably the best question” in an interview with ESPN in September.
However, Redick’s first coaching role hasn’t been as successful as hoped.
However, Redick most likely did not anticipate that his first coaching experience would be as rocky as his initial months with the Lakers. The 2020 NBA champions, who only two years ago advanced to the Western Conference Finals, are currently sitting in the 10th and last West seed with a dismal 13-12 record. The Lakers’ loss at Minnesota on Friday was their eighth in the previous 11 games and their fourth in the previous five.
Redick has been forced to answer for the Lakers’ legendary, 39-year-old, certain Hall of Famer LeBron James for the past week, as if that weren’t enough to manage.
Since Wednesday, James has been missing from the team without providing an explanation. Redick has described it as a “excused absence,” but he hasn’t provided any information beyond saying James is “gassed.”
When the Lakers flew to Minnesota on Friday and lost to the Timberwolves by ten points, James was once again not present. The squad, who scored a season-low 87 points without James, did not travel. James missed the game for the second time in a row. After only participating in 183 of the Lakers’ 246 regular season games during the previous three seasons, he had already declared his intention to play all 82 games this season. A “foot injury” was cited as the cause of the absence from the games.
Redick had a direct response in one word when asked before Friday’s game in Minnesota whether he knew when James was going to return to the franchise that is paying him $47.8 million to play for them this season.
“No,” he replied. No other information was provided by the beleaguered coach.
Redick speaks for James as he stays silent.
Redick and Lebron had a tight friendship before Redick took the Lakers job, after the team fired Darvin Ham after just two seasons as the head coach of the storied franchise. They co-hosted a weekly podcast called Mind the Game.
However, James’ apparent departure from the team as it tries to return to the playoffs this season has probably caused tension in the partnership. Since departing the squad over the week, James has remained silent on social media and has not made any public remarks. On November 20, he declared his intention to “get off social media for the time being.”
James said, “Y’all take care,” as he closed his accounts.
