NBA Rumors: Lakers See JJ Redick as 'Pat Riley-Like' Prospect amid HC, LeBron Buzz

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly "infatuated" with JJ Redick's potential as a head coach.

Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Lakers see Redick as a "Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years."

Redick has no coaching experience. He's spent the last three years in the media since retiring from the NBA in 2021.

The Lakers front office is seemingly leading the charge with Redick's candidacy despite his relationship with LeBron James. Charania reported James has had "no conversations" with the Lakers about hiring Redick, with whom he co-hosts the Mind the Game podcast.

Redick's journey to being a head coach would not be too dissimilar to Riley, who worked as a broadcaster for the Lakers for two years before being brought to the bench as an assistant under Paul Westhead. The Lakers famously fired Westhead in favor of Riley in 1981, sparking a basketball revolution called Showtime.

Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990, winning four championships before stepping down after being eliminated in the second round of the 1990 playoffs. He'd later move on to coach the New York Knicks and Miami Heat before moving into a front office role following the 2007-08 season.

The main difference between Riley and Redick is that Riley spent time as an assistant before taking over the top job. Redick seemingly has no interest in following that path—and understandably so. He's already considered one of the top analysts in all of basketball media, and his podcast network is well-regarded enough to entice James to join the crew.

Leaving for anything short of a head-coaching job would be career malpractice—especially with the salaries for top media members rising.

Still, Redick seems determined to give coaching a try. He interviewed with the Charlotte Hornets before they hired Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee, and the former NBA guard says he misses the thrill of the locker room.

"What I really miss is the juice. I miss the action, I miss the competition, I miss leadership, I miss being on a team," Redick said on the Road Trippin' podcast. "In a locker room, physically in a locker room after winning a road game. You miss that stuff. There's a high that you get as an athlete that goes beyond passing and shooting and dribbling and taking a charge or dunking a basketball. Those are all these little moments of actual gameplay. It's the other moments that I feel we all miss as ex-athletes. And the part about coaching in general is the things that I miss and the things that I love doing that involves coaching. That all is part of coaching."

The Lakers would be a pressure-cooker situation to overtake, especially with James approaching his age-40 season. But if the Lakers are willing to roll the dice, there are a lot worse situations to take over than one featuring arguably the greatest player in NBA history.