LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar, has finally spoken out on the hire of his former podcast co-host and 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick as their new head coach.
“We’re excited about JJ,” James told reporters on July 6, at the opening of Team USA’s camp in Las Vegas. “I’m excited to work with JJ, as well as Coaches [Scott] Brooks and [Nate] McMillan. Those are also excellent additions to our coaching team, but I’m especially looking forward to working with JJ.”
The Lakers’ first aim while putting together Redick’s staff was to surround him with seasoned head coaches. Brooks and McMillan have 31 seasons of head-coaching experience between them.
Redick’s hire was closely examined because he had no prior head coaching experience. However, he is hardly the first former NBA player to go to coaching without prior expertise.
The last three attempts during the last decade yielded mixed outcomes.
Steve Nash spent only three seasons in Brooklyn after being recruited in 2020. Nash, a Hall of Famer and former NBA MVP, won just one playoff series alongside Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Nash left the Nets with a record of 94-67.
In 2014, Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher were named as first-time coaches.
Kerr became the gold standard for first-time coaches after winning four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors. He is the winningest coach among all first-timers, with 519 victories and counting.
Fisher, a five-time NBA champion, was one of the worst to ever do it, finishing 40-96 in one-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks before being sacked.
