When JJ Redick was announced as Lakers head coach in 2024, many compared his journey to that of Pat Riley, who, too, went from a broadcaster to a coach, albeit in an assistant role.
Redick has seemingly lived up to the comparisons. The Duke alum picked up his 50th win on April 11, and with it, the Pacific Division title over teams such as the Warriors, Clippers, Kings and Suns. He became the first Lakers rookie head coach to achieve the feat since the legendary Riley, who coached the Purple and Gold to four NBA titles.
The last Lakers rookie HC to win the division was Pat Riley (won Championship) 👀
While Riley and Redick both transitioned from broadcasters to coaches, their journeys weren’t exactly similar. Riley spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Paul Westhead before taking over the head coaching seat. On the other hand, Redick never spent a season coaching at any level, let alone the NBA, before securing the Lakers’ job ahead of the 2024-25 season.
JJ Redick Was Doubted
When Redick secured the high-profile Lakers job, he had his fair share of detractors. FS1’s Rachel Nichols felt the Riley-Redick comparisons were unfounded.
“I don’t buy any of it,” Nichols said of the Redick-Riley comparison on May 24, 2024.
“JJ Redick is going to be an excellent head coach,” she continued. “However, to compare him to Pat Riley, who not only was in broadcasting, but he also broadcast locally for the Lakers. He played for that team, and then he watched that team every night. He knew the guys super well, and then he became an assistant coach for two-plus seasons before he took over.
“That’s the biggest knock on JJ. I think everyone knows how good he’s going to be. It’s just that you can walk into being a head coach of a team with two superstars that need to win now if you have no experience. That was not Pat Riley. Pat Riley had experience. He was on that bench, in the locker room, and at the coaches’ meetings. I don’t see the one-to-one comparison.”
Heat legend Udonis Haslem also had his doubts, telling ESPN’s “NBA Today” that Redick friendship with LeBron James, his former podcast co-host, would cause friction in the Lakers locker room.
(🎥: @stephenasmith)
How Far Can Redick Take Lakers?
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal also called out the NBA media for making the Redick-Riley comparisons prematurely.
“Stop it,” Shaq told “The Pat McAfee Show” on September 5, 2024. “First of all, JJ is a nice guy. Pat Riley is the man. So, imagine you come in [as a player] and JJ Redick starts yelling at you. It’s gonna be a [expletive] fight in there. Players ain’t going for all that yelling and all that screaming and all that extra running. Next Pat Riley, my [expletive].”
In the 2025 playoffs, Redick will be the first Lakers head coach to enjoy home advantage in a first-round series since 2012. In 2020, Frank Vogel was denied that privilege as the NBA moved to the Orlando Bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prophecy will be complete if Redick can guide the Lakers to the NBA championship. Riley, too, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in his rookie season as a head coach in 1981-82. Redick’s Lakers have the fourth-shortest odds to win it all, per ESPNBet.
JJ Redick Matches Pat Riley Feat As Lakers Rookie Coach