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Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick with Bronny James.
The Los Angeles Lakers Rookie head coach JJ Redick and assistant Lindsey Harding have been named The Athletic’s NBA 40 Under 40 list.
Redick, 40, was a rising star on television broadcasting and social media platforms three years after retiring as an NBA player when the Lakers offered him his first NBA coaching job even with no prior experience behind the bench.
The accomplishment “is a testament to his basketball IQ and the respect he’s earned in the sport, not only after 15 years in the NBA but also through his astute media appearances and basketball podcast,” according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who compiled the list.
Vorkunov compiled the list, which includes rising NBA coaches and front office personnel, “after much deliberation and discussion” with front office executives, coaches, league office officials, agents and players’ union personnel, as well as others in the NBA’s orbit.
Redick previously worked for ESPN as a top basketball analyst after his former LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers left to take the head coaching job of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Meanwhile, Harding, 40, became the first woman to win NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading Sacramento’s Stockton Kings to a league-best 24-10 record. She and Redick also interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching job that ultimately went to Charles Lee, 39, who was also named to The Athletic’s NBA 40 Under 40 list.
Landing an assistant coaching job with the high-profile Lakers “is just the latest sign of success for Harding after a stellar playing career that included being the Naismith National Player of the Year at Duke, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA draft and a solid player throughout her professional career,” Vorkunov wrote.
JJ Redick takes on the pressure of coaching the Lakers
Redick knows the dangers of taking such a prestigious job with the Lakers on his first try.
But he revealed in his introductory news conference that it’s what he wants after failing to land coaching jobs with Toronto last year and Charlotte earlier this offseason.
“I have to do extraordinary things in my life. Don’t I?” Redick said, according to the Los Angeles Times“That might be the best. When I think about this particular job, it’s not just about getting the job. What I wanted to do was do this job. I wanted to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.”
Redick said he knows the expectations of coaching LeBron James And Anthony Davis.
“I just want to say that sitting in my seat, I know what the expectations are. Lakers fans have some of the most passionate fans in the world,” Redick said. “And the expectation is a championship. And so that’s my job, that’s our team’s job, that’s Rob’s job, that’s all of us’s job, to provide a championship-caliber team.”
“That’s what I signed up for.”
Anthony Davis Reveals Chat With JJ Redick After He Was Hired as Coach
Davis had conversations with Redick after the coach was hired, where the rookie head coach shared his vision.
Davis said Redick planned to hand him the keys as James ended his illustrious career.
“[Redick] “I talked about myself being the center of the attack,” Davis said, According to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “It will be different. We won’t know everything before [training] We’re going to camp when we can get on the court. We want LeBron to shoot more three-pointers. [Redick] “He wants to play fast and defend. From what he told me, I totally agree with what he has planned for us. The final goal remains to win a championship. We can’t rush things.”
It will be an interesting dynamic because James has always been the focal point of his teams and he showed at age 39, during last season in the NBA and during Team USA’s gold medal at the Paris Olympics, that there are no signs of slowing down.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist who covers the NBA for Heavy.com. He has over 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is originally from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Learn more about Alder Almo
