The Athletic’s Shams Charania appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, and he shared some promising insight on the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search for former Duke star [autotag]JJ Redick[/autotag].
Charania said the Lakers spent “an extended period of time” with Redick in Chicago last week during the NBA Draft Combine.
“He was the first candidate to really do a face-to-face meeting,” Charania said.
The reporter explained that other candidates met with the storied franchise throughout this week and a second round of interviews will likely come after the weekend, but he doesn’t think the order is a coincidence.
“Right now, my sense is that JJ Redick, he is the guy around the league that everyone believes is the frontrunner for this job,” Charania explained. “He’s in position, there’s an infatuation with JJ Redick right now.”
Redick, Duke’s all-time leading scorer, has never held an NBA coaching position before. He played for 15 seasons in the NBA before his retirement and he’s since pursued a career in media as an ESPN analyst and a podcast host.
"I'm told that last week the Lakers met with JJ Redick for an extended period of time..
He was the first person to do a face to face meeting and my sense is that he's the frontrunner for this job" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/leqeBn0mCk
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 24, 2024
Redick also holds school records for single-season scoring average, free-throw percentage, and 3-pointers made.