The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly willing to do whatever it takes to keep LeBron James in the purple and yellow next season.
That might just include hiring his podcasting partner JJ Redick as their next head coach.
The ESPN NBA analyst has reportedly been linked to the job, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s actually one of several head coaching vacancies that Redick’s name has come up for.
While it remains to be seen how serious these reports are to happening, Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless would love to see it happen.
I want to see JJ Redick coach the Lakerspic.twitter.com/6oWZ9P9FxO
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 13, 2024
“I’ll be honest with you. I’m saying this very selfishly. I want to see JJ Redick coach the Lakers,” said Bayless on his podcast. “We all know that JJ and LeBron have been doing great new podcast. X’s and O’s, Basketball breakdown at the highest levels, deepest levels. Great stuff. LeBron has been able to look into JJ’s mind and see the future. Did JJ have a little Pat Reilly in him?
“He’s got the swagger. He’s got the look and the looks. He played at a pretty high level. He was a great villain at Duke. He knows what it feels like to be criticized. He can take the heat. He can give as good as he gets. He would be great for me, for us, for Undisputed, for our business, for everybody in this business, because we would all be on the edge of our seats night after night to see how long JJ could last with LeBron. It would be a great experiment. It would be a ratings bonanza, both for the Lakers and for that talks about the Lakers.
“Give me JJ Redick. Give me Drama King. Give me box office. Give me JJ Redick, next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.”
If the Lakers hired Redick as their head coach and drafted Bronny James to keep LeBron happy, it would certainly make the 2024-2025 Lakers’ season one to watch, even if it doesn’t exactly sound like the recipe for success.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.