New Lakers coach JJ Redick talks LeBron James, Dan Hurley, lack of experience: ‘I want to win championships’

It’s official.

JJ Redick is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The former NBA sharpshooter with no coaching experience beyond the youth level was introduced as the sideline leader for one of the most storied franchises in all of sports on Monday.

Flanked by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Redick met with media on his 40th birthday for the first time since he agreed on Thursday to a reported four-year contract with the team. He acknowledged the obvious in his opening statement.

“I have never coached in the NBA before,” Redick said. “I don’t know if you guys have heard that.”

JJ Redick in his introductory press conference:

“I have never coached in the NBA before. I don’t know if you guys have heard that. … The expectation is a championship. … That’s what I signed up for.”

(via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/t2dNNLFOwB

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2024

For the better part of the next hour, Redick and Pelinka discussed what went into the unorthodox hire and touched on topics including the franchise’s failed dalliance with UConn coach Dan Hurley and just how involved LeBron James was in the hiring process (hint: not very much).

Why Lakers hired Redick

Before they met with media, Pelinka cited Redick’s “extraordinary basketball IQ” and “rigorous analysis” in a statement announcing him as head coach. It’s a theme that played out throughout Monday’s news conference. Pelinka repeatedly praised Redick as a strategist alongside his approach to the game of basketball from a modern analytical perspective.

“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,” Pelinka said. “When we embarked on this search, it was really important for us to see if we could do something a little different.

“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.”

JJ Redick speaks after being introduced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, June 24, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Redick talks coaching style,…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-24 23:08:26

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