The NBA community has been alive again with the reported hiring of former player JJ Redick as the new Los Angeles Lakers head coach.
After weeks of speculation, reports have confirmed that the Los Angeles Lakers and ex-NBA player and sports commentator JJ Redick have reached an agreement to become their new head coach.
The deal was said to be a four-year contract and that the 15-year NBA veteran has already begun assembling his staff, per NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Redick was considered one of the deadliest pure shooters in the game, playing for six teams before his retirement in September 2021, when he moved into a career in broadcasting and podcasting.
JJ replaces Darvin Ham, who was fired last month despite leading the Lakers to two playoff berths and a Western Conference finals appearance in 2023.
Besides calling games, the former Duke Blue Devil began recording a regular podcast with Lakers superstar James two months ago, and their “Mind the Game” collaboration is already wildly popular, with listeners often emerging impressed by the duo’s basketball acumen and high-level discussion of tactics and motivation.
Now these two minds will be working together for the Lakers, with Redick leading a roster headlined by LeBron, who is six months younger than Redick, and big man Anthony Davis.
Across X (formerly Twitter), fans and even one Laker legend expressed how they felt about the Lakers officially hiring another new coach.
Five-time NBA champion and Lakers legend Magic Johnson has weighed in on Redick's hiring, saying that he is cautiously optimistic about what's to come.
Johnson also voiced out in another tweet that the Lakers front office doesn't rest after announcing Redick as coach, encouraging team manager Rob Pelinka to improve the roster to try and catch up to a competitive Western Conference.
On social media, the reactions were pretty mixed but there are plenty of Lakers fans feeling hopeful about the future, especially on Reddick possibly giving a much clearer offensive role for superstar duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Others are much less optimistic and even joked that JJ's tenure will not be any different from the Lakers coaches who came before him... like Ham, Frank Vogel, and Luka Walton who all only lasted there a few years before getting fired.
One user thinks LA’s hiring of Redick is a big decision that can either rejuvenate the franchise or prolong the misery for the Purple and Gold squad.
No matter what happens moving forward, there will be doubts about the Lakers' choice -- but there's no going back now.
JJ is the guy now and all the pressure is on him to live up to the hype and validate Pelinka's trust in a candidate who has no experience in the role.
What do you think NBA fans?