Following just one season with the team, where they did not go beyond the first round of the Playoffs, the Lakers have signed their head coach, JJ Redick, to a contract extension with the team.
After Pelinka’s announcement in the opening minutes of the press conference, a media member also asked Redick about his response to the faith that the Lakers organization has shown in him.
“Rob and I have a lot of similar philosophies in life, and one of the words we talk about a lot is gratitude. And so it starts with a high level of gratitude to the Lakers, to Mark, Jeanie, and Rob for having that confidence in me.”
“And it’s not lost on me, the rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension. I recognize how fortunate I am to be with an organization that supports me that way,” said Redick humbly.
The Lakers’ General Manager, Rob Pelinka, confirmed during their media day press conference that the former NBA player has been given an extension. While addressing the Lakers’ offseason business, Pelinka also explained why the Lakers made this move.
“We’re excited. From a roster standpoint, we addressed some goals of getting a starting center, which is something that we felt was really important. Adding some really good wings, in terms of 3-and-D wings like Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart.
“Clearly, getting an extension done with Luka in addition to LeBron choosing the Lakers as opposed to entering free agency. All positive and productive things for us as a team.”
“In addition to that, recently extending JJ’s contract to make it clear that he’s the basketball leader of our coaching and on-court performance, lots of business was done in the offseason.”
While the details of the extension are not yet public information, Pelinka’s words spread a reassuring feeling around the room, but also a sense of shock since it is very rare to see a first-time head coach get an extension after his first season with a team.
In his first regular season as a head coach, Redick won 50 of the 82 games in the regular season with the Lakers. They jumped from finishing seventh in the 2023-24 regular season (a play-in spot) to a comfortable third seed in 2024-25. Hence, the Lakers are confident in the direction in which Redick is driving the team.
After retiring from the NBA in 2021 following 15 seasons as a player, Redick spent a few years as a media figure with ESPN before he took up this job with the Lakers. It seems that Redick has found his calling, and the Lakers have found a long-term match for the head coaching role.
