This week, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken the first real steps toward hiring their next head coach. They have reportedly obtained permission to interview at least five men on their list of candidates who are assistants on other teams, including Chris Quinn, Micah Nori and David Adelman.
But the favorite to win the job, at least according to one beat writer, seems to be JJ Redick, the former NBA sharpshooter who is LeBron James’ co-host on the “Mind the Game” podcast.
Redick is very much a peer and friend of James, which has led many to doubt he would actually coach James rather than the superstar’s yes-man. Former NFL star cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman said on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” that he doesn’t see Redick telling James what the latter needs to hear.
“I don’t see a guy like JJ Redick going to LeBron and telling him what to do.”
— @RSherman_25 pic.twitter.com/DwvFYCVLcq
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 16, 2024
“He’s too much of a peer of LeBron at this point in time,” said Sherman. “Everything they talked about Darvin Ham and everything they talked about with LeBron James and he needs to get along and it’s really his team and he’s really the coach — it’s gonna be that way with JJ Redick. It may come off sweet initially, but when things get hot, when things get heavy, when they get down the stretch and frustration starts to boil, emotions start to get the better of us, then you’re gonna see people’s true colors.
“I just don’t see a player like JJ Redick being able to go to LeBron James and tell him what he can and cannot do. If you played against LeBron James, everybody would say LeBron James would have more say so in this situation, so I think you need a coach with more pedigree.”
Sherman isn’t the only athlete to say something along the lines of this publicly on a sports talk show. Udonis Haslem, who played with James for four seasons on the Miami Heat, said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” the Lakers would have a “cynical locker room” if they hired Redick to be their head coach.
Redick, who is just 39 years of age, played 15 seasons in the NBA and had a career 3-point accuracy of 41.5%. However, he has no coaching experience, other than helping out his son’s grade school team.
