Former Philadelphia 76ers sharpshooter JJ Redick has made a name for himself as an NBA analyst since starting his own podcast in 2016. However, it appears he may potentially have his next career in basketball laid out for him, as, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, he has been considered by the Toronto Raptors for their open head coach position.
Grange revealed that the Raptors have considered Redick as their replacement for the departed Nick Nurse.
“Then there are some wild cards… and one source suggesting that Toronto has looked into the possibility of veteran NBA sharpshooter, turned podcaster, turned broadcaster JJ Reddick — who has spoken openly about the possibility of getting into coaching — as being head coach material,” Grange said.
The Raptors and Nick Nurse parted ways on April 21, four years after Nurse coached the franchise to their first title, which coincidentally was the last year Redick played for the Sixers in 2019. Redick has no coaching experience whatsoever but has shown that he has immense knowledge of the game through both his podcasting and his broadcasting experience.
JJ Redick Reveals Why He Left Sixers
In an appearance with “Fresh 24 With Marc Zumoff,” Redick explained how he approached his free agency, expressing his then-desire to stay with the Sixers in 2019.
“I would have stayed with the team. I wanted to stay with the team. That was my mindset going into free agency that year,” Redick said.
Redick added why he believes the Sixers’ chose to part ways with Redick that summer, and how he feels about their choice not to keep him around.
“I think the thought process, going into that free agency, was like, ‘We got to beat the Raptors’, which was weird because we all knew Kawhi (Leonard) was leaving, and so they sign out, and they saw Josh (Richardson) and (Al) Horford, or we got to beat the Celtics potentially because they got big wings. I think that hurt me in free agency, which is fine. They went in (the) opposite direction. I have no ill will towards anyone about that. Teams have to make decisions, players have to make decisions.”
Redick instead signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and finished his career with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021.
JJ Redick Fires Back at Doc Rivers
While talking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Doc Rivers explained why he didn’t believe the Los Angeles Clippers had what it took to win a title when he coached them because they didn’t cooperate with one another.
“I’m not trying to take anything away from that team, but that team was never going to win when you look back at it. We just didn’t get along well enough as a group, and you can’t win without cooperation. That’s the only way you can win,” Rivers said.
Redick, who played for Rivers from 2013 to 2017 on the Clippers, said Rivers deserves some accountability for their failures while talking with former Clippers teammate Jamal Crawford.
“I thought it was weird,” Redick said. “To not get any of that accountability from him, and the interesting part, too, is he’s talking about players getting along, and he was brought in…Doc’s reputation was like as a personality manager…and he was a GM, so like if people weren’t getting along, I don’t know, it’s kind of on (Doc).”
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Ex-Sixer JJ Redick Linked to NBA Coaching Gig: Report