JJ Redick and LeBron James are stepping aside from their podcast after the Los Angeles Lakers announced on Monday, June 24, that the former player was named the NBA team’s new head coach.
Redick, 40, told reporters at an introductory news conference Monday that he and James, the 39-year-old Lakers star, will put their Mind the Game podcast on pause while they both focus on the team.
“For the moment, and I hope it will be for a long, long time, I am excommunicated from the content space,” Redick told reporters, according to KeynoteUSA. “So there will be no podcast… I’m done with podcasting for now.”
Redick played 15 seasons in the NBA, first selected by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA Draft. He averaged 12.8 points per game throughout his career with six different teams, finishing his career with the Dallas Mavericks. in 2021. At the time of his retirement, Redick ranked 15th all-time in NBA history in three-pointers made, with a total of 1,950. baskets beyond the arc.
Following his retirement, he became an on-air sports analyst for KeynoteUSA, debuting on the sports network in November 2021. He left KeynoteUSA in June, following news of his new head coaching assignment.
JJ Reddick on June 24, 2024.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty
The former Duke University standout comes to the Lakers job without any head coaching experience and told reporters Monday, “I really don’t give a damn” what some critics might say about Los Angeles hiring a inexperienced team leader. .
“Honestly, I want to coach the Lakers,” Redick said, according to KeynoteUSA. “I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dissipate anything. I want to become a great coach in the NBA. And I want to win championships. And I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s all I care about.”
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Meanwhile, Redick and James have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, as highlighted on their basketball podcast, which debuted on March 19.
The podcast, which promised listeners “an entry into the heralded basketball minds of LeBron James and JJ Redick,” was James’ first foray into podcasting. Redick had previously hosted The Old Man and the Three podcast for his production company, ThreeFourTwo Productions, and The Chronicles of Redick on The Ringer.
From left: LeBron James playing JJ Redick in 2017.
Mitchell Leff/Getty
When it came to interviewing for the coaching position, Redick said James “didn’t give any advice.” According to KeynoteUSA, Redick added: “LeBron and I didn’t talk about the Lakers job until Thursday afternoon, about 30 minutes after they offered me the job. And that was very intentional on both sides.”
Although Redick said he and James plan to end their podcast now that they have their sights set on winning an NBA championship with the Lakers, the newly introduced coach told reporters that the former podcasting partners will reunite at the microphones for a farewell. official before the next one. The NBA season begins in October.
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“We’ll do something when I get a break from what’s ahead,” Redick said, according to KeynoteUSA Sports. “I’m going to drink in a firehouse for the next month, but at some point, we’ll just do something for all the people who listened and have a little video.”
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