The former NBA player, analyst and podcast host, along with LeBron James, is emerging as the frontrunner to become the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach.

With many big-name coaches tied down (for example, Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers or Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks), the story of finding an owner for the captain’s chair of the Los Angeles Lakers is facing many difficulties.

The two most likely candidates are former NBA player JJ Redick, who is currently an ESPN analyst, and coach James Borrego, who just finished the 2023-24 season as an assistant head coach at the New Orleans Pelicans.

And in this two-horse race, reputable journalist Shams Charania with sources close to the purple and yellow team believes that JJ Redick is winning, with a high possibility of becoming the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers .

LeBron James and JJ Redick

The Athletic’s reporter added that the final decision has not yet been made by the Lakers. 

The club still has to follow standard procedures and there are still some steps to go through before “closing the deal” with JJ Redick. However, Shams believes that all signs are pointing to JJ being the new captain of the Lakers.

Redick was the first candidate to be officially interviewed by the Los Angeles Lakers. The interview took place more than 3 weeks ago with the participation of many members of the club’s leadership.

JJ Redick is currently an analyst for ESPN and will cover the 2024 NBA Finals.

As for coach James Borrego, this coach had two meetings with the Lakers last week and left a certain impression. This is the reason why the team is carefully considering between Borrego and Derick. James Borrego once coached Anthony Davis when both were on the same team at the New Orleans Pelicans.

In addition to these two names, the Los Angeles Lakers have had many interviews and meetings with candidates such as Sam Cassell (assistant coach of the Boston Celtics), Chris Quinn (assistant coach of the Miami Heat), Mr. Micah Nori (assistant coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves) and David Adelman (assistant coach at the Denver Nuggets).

James Borrego has left a certain impression with the Los Angeles Lakers and will compete directly with JJ Redick.