(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers ended almost two months of constant speculation on Thursday afternoon with the storied NBA franchise coming to terms on a four-year contract with JJ Redick to be head coach and successor to the recently fired Darvin Ham.
After Ham failed to live up to expectations after two seasons with the team and seemingly fell out of favor with superstar Anthony Davis, the Lakers decided to part ways with him, which immediately started a flurry of rumors about who would be the next head coach in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, the available options on the NBA coaching market weren’t all that great, which led to speculation that they could make a risky move and hire Redick, who had zero coaching experience.
Ultimately, the Lakers brass decided that Redick was the right man for the job, and the backlash the team is receiving for making this questionable decision has been on another level.
However, the former ESPN broadcaster is also getting some high praise for getting the job, like from former colleague Stephen A. Smith.
Congrats to my man @jj_redick. Anyone who knows anything about you knows that you have that coaching itch. Wishing you nothing but the best. https://t.co/ydUdKpFHXk
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 20, 2024
It will be a rough road ahead for Redick as he transitions from the broadcast table to the coaching ranks in the NBA, as the odds are not in his favor to be successful at one of the toughest coaching jobs in the league.
Despite the skepticism, Redick has a chance to prove the doubters wrong and will have a lot of work to do in order to be prepared for what will almost certainly be a challenging 2024-25 NBA season.
The post Stephen A. Smith Reacts To Lakers’ Hiring Of JJ Redick appeared first on The Cold Wire.